Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Poolers' take on White House guest arrivals for Hu Jintao state dinner
From Official Poolers of Politico
Subject: Pool report--State Dinner arrivals #1
Welcome to the third installment of POLITICO's State Dinner arrivals coming to you from Booksellers at the White House. -- Kendra Marr and Amie Parnes
Here's a rundown of the best arrivals so far.
Asked if he'll run in 2012 ...
"We're loyal to our country and our president," said John Huntsman.
Vera Wang walked into the hall as reporters gasped: "Wow!"
Who's Vera Wang wearing, your poolers asked. "I'll let you guys guess," the A-list designer said.
And (!) Did she design first lady Michelle Obama's dress tonight? "No I did not," she said.
Wang said she enjoyed seeing President Hu again: "That was kind of a big thing. Great to see him again."
Jackie Chan's date goes "Jackie give me your camera" -- a big SLR -- before he walks out to greet the press.
Why he is lugging that thing around? "I just want to take some photo" he shrugs Chan, who is wearing a tux with a mandarin collar.
Going to do some stunts? "No, not today"
Wendy Murdoch: Where's Rupert? "He's traveling."
How do you feel about being here tonight? No response. Kept on walking. Bye bye.
Best mother daughter combo: Madeleine and Alice Albright.
Mona Locke, in an elegant gray satin gown said she bought it from a Seattle designer
Christiane Amanpour walks briskly through only to mouth,"Armani," when asked about her dress.
Another "where's your date" moment for Elaine Chao. She's accompanied by her father.
Subject: Pool report--State Dinner arrivals #1
Welcome to the third installment of POLITICO's State Dinner arrivals coming to you from Booksellers at the White House. -- Kendra Marr and Amie Parnes
Here's a rundown of the best arrivals so far.
Asked if he'll run in 2012 ...
"We're loyal to our country and our president," said John Huntsman.
Vera Wang walked into the hall as reporters gasped: "Wow!"
Who's Vera Wang wearing, your poolers asked. "I'll let you guys guess," the A-list designer said.
And (!) Did she design first lady Michelle Obama's dress tonight? "No I did not," she said.
Wang said she enjoyed seeing President Hu again: "That was kind of a big thing. Great to see him again."
Jackie Chan's date goes "Jackie give me your camera" -- a big SLR -- before he walks out to greet the press.
Why he is lugging that thing around? "I just want to take some photo" he shrugs Chan, who is wearing a tux with a mandarin collar.
Going to do some stunts? "No, not today"
Wendy Murdoch: Where's Rupert? "He's traveling."
How do you feel about being here tonight? No response. Kept on walking. Bye bye.
Best mother daughter combo: Madeleine and Alice Albright.
Mona Locke, in an elegant gray satin gown said she bought it from a Seattle designer
Christiane Amanpour walks briskly through only to mouth,"Armani," when asked about her dress.
Another "where's your date" moment for Elaine Chao. She's accompanied by her father.
Labels: Barack Obama, Hu Jintao, politico, poolers, White House
Tough negotiations ahead for Hu, Obama
From The Hindu
Since he arrived in Washington on Tuesday Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit has entirely dominated the attention of the White House’s protocol army. However if recent statements by senior administration officials are anything to go by, official bonhomie may give way to tense negotiations by Wednesday evening, when Mr. Hu will attend a press conference with United States President Barack Obama.
In their opening remarks at the South Lawn of the White House the Chinese President clearly emphasised his hope that his visit would “increase mutual trust, enhance friendship, deepen cooperation, and push forward the positive, cooperative, and comprehensive China-U.S. relationship for the 21st century.”
He added that “China and the U.S. should respect each other’s choice of development path and each other’s core interests,” possibly an oblique reference to China’s interest in Taiwan. Until recently China had suspended all military-to-military ties with the U.S. after the latter sold arms to Taiwan in 2009.
In turn Mr. Obama struck a positive but balanced tone in his remarks saying that, while “The previous 30 years had been a time of estrangement for our two countries... the 30 years since have been a time of growing exchanges and understanding.”
He also hinted at the U.S.’ concerns on human rights in China when he noted, “History shows that societies are more harmonious, nations are more successful, and the world is more just, when the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all people are upheld, including the universal rights of every human being.”
The tenor of Mr. Obama’s comments appeared to jibe with recent comments made by senior officials in his administration who have, in the past few weeks, underscored policy dissonance on thorny economic, social and military issues between the two countries.
Last week U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner reiterated the U.S. view that “a stronger yuan is in China's own best interests, because it would help tame rising inflation that has become a key risk to China's rapid growth,” according to reports. Official anxiety regarding trade imbalances has also grown, focussing in particular on U.S. companies’ lack of access to China’s markets.
Similarly Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a speech on Friday that China’s human rights record needed to improve, in particular criticising in particular its imprisonment of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
In a similar critical message issued during a meeting with Chinese Minister of National Defence General Liang Guanglie, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates hinted that the China’s development of a stealth aircraft and its growing assertiveness in the South China Sea were matters of serious concern.
While trade, currency, human rights and military development issues are clearly of much concern in the Obama White House, it may find itself groping for levers to persuade Mr. Hu to make concessions where it matters.
A litmus test of how willing Mr. Hu is to consider please for policy reform will come later on Wednesday when, along with Mr. Obama, he will interact with a group of 18 American and Chinese CEOs and hear their requests for greater market access in China.
Labels: bilateral ties, China, China President, Hu Jintao, international relations, President Barack Obama, U.S., U.S.-China relations
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
U.S. monetary policy fuelling inflation: Hu
From The Hindu
Two days before his much-anticipated visit to the United States, Chinese President Hu Jintao said that U.S. monetary policy “has a major impact on global liquidity and capital flows and therefore, the liquidity of the U.S. dollar should be kept at a reasonable and stable level.”
In rare comments made directly to U.S. media Mr. Hu deflected criticism away from China’s currency, which senior U.S. officials have persistently said was overvalued. Instead, he suggested to The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, efforts by the U.S. Federal Reserve to stimulate growth through huge bond purchases were fuelling inflation in emerging economies.
However while Mr. Hu acknowledged “some differences and sensitive issues between us,” his tone was described as “generally compromising, and he avoided specific mention of some of the controversial issues that have dogged relations with the U.S. over the past year or so.”
These include the U.S.’ arms sales to Taiwan, which resulted in a suspension of military-to-military ties between the two countries, imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, China’s expanding naval prowess and complaints about cyber-attacks by Google and other internet-related entities in China.
Yet tensions were recently evident during a series of meetings in Beijing between U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates and his Chinese counterpart General Liang Guanglie, particularly regarding China’s alleged development of a stealth aircraft and the 2009 arms sales to Taiwan.
In the weeks leading to Mr. Hu’s visit U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner also reiterated the U.S. view that “a stronger yuan is in China's own best interests, because it would help tame rising inflation that has become a key risk to China's rapid growth,” the Journal reported.
Mr. Hu however was said to have dismissed Mr. Geithner’s claim arguing that China was combating inflation with an integrated policies including interest-rate hikes, and “inflation can hardly be the main factor in determining the exchange rate policy.”
The Post noted that during Mr. Hu’s visit the Obama administration would also seek to refocus attention on China’s record on human rights and political freedoms, which re-entered spotlight late last year following the Nobel Committee awarding its 2010 Peace Prize to a Mr. Liu.
In his recent comments Mr. Hu nevertheless hinted that China would continue to develop “socialist democracy.” Political reform, Mr. Hu said to the Post, must “meet people's growing enthusiasm for participating in political affairs.”
He added that China would “define the institutions, standards and procedures for socialist democracy, expand people’s ordinary participation in political affairs at each level and in every field, mobilize and organize the people as extensively as possible.”
Labels: China, Hu Jintao, inflation, monetary policy, U.S.
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