At a tea reception in Muscatine, Iowa, Chinese Vice President Xi gave a panda doll to the granddaughter of one of his old friends.
It is not every day that the future president of China visits the small town of Muscatine, Iowa. But that’s exactly what happened when Vice President Xi Jinping of China came to the United States in mid-February for a five-day visit. He is expected to become the president of China next year, after President Hu Jintao retires.
Although Xi’s trip was brief, he made sure to visit Muscatine, where he had first stayed in 1985. Back then, he was a local government official from a farming area in China. He came to learn about how people farm in the United States. On this visit, he returned to the homes and farms of old friends who he had spent time with 27 years ago.
Xi’s trip to the United States was not only about reuniting with old friends, however. He also met with President Barack Obama at the White House. In their meeting, President Obama spoke about how important it is for the United States to have a strong relationship with China. Vice President Xi said that he hoped that his visit would help understanding and friendship grow between the two nations. The two also spoke about their countries’ differences over trade and human rights.
The last stop on Xi’s trip was Los Angeles. He toured the Port of Los Angeles with California Governor Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. There he saw where many ships that carry goods between the United States and China come and go. Later, Xi attended a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game with Mayor Villaraigosa.
Xi also visited the International Studies Learning Center in Los Angeles with Vice President Joe Biden. They spoke to a classroom of students who were studying Mandarin, China’s official language. Xi was impressed with the students’ ability to speak the language. Biden told the students that the relationship the United States has with China is the most important one of the 21st century.
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