Us-china Relations, Xi Jinping | featured news

The man expected to become China's next leader, Vice-President Xi Jinping, appears in "good shape", US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has said after talks in Beijing. The talks marked Mr Xi's first official meeting since he went missing two weeks ago without further explanation.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s week-long trip to the United States, covered in minute detail in the official media here, was the first extended chance for the Chinese public to size up the man tipped to be their next leader. And judging from the initial reviews, Xi is proving a surprise hit with ordinary people.

U.S. business and foreign policy leaders gathered at a Woodley Park hotel on Wednesday morning for an address by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the major speech of his visit to the United States. The lunch was expected to draw a crowd of 600 business executives, politicians, academics and analysts, with corporate sponsors paying $25,000 for a short VIP reception and photo opportunity with China’s presumptive next president.