Hu Welcomed at White House
Bloomberg reports:
Chinese President Hu Jintao was formally welcomed to the White House for his first state visit to the U.S., which will include a rare press conference, a meeting with company executives, and a black-tie dinner.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greeted Hu on the South Lawn of the executive mansion. A color guard stood at attention as the two leaders met before Cabinet members, lawmakers and U.S. and foreign diplomats.
Obama, 49, said in his remarks that the normalization of the U.S.-China relationship in 1979 brought increasing cooperation between the two nations.
“With this visit, we can lay the foundation for the next 30 years,” Obama said. “We have an enormous stake in each other’s success.”
Hu, 68, said the U.S. and China “share broad common interests.”
“Our cooperation as partners should be based on mutual respect,” he said. “China and the United States share broad common interests and important common responsibilities.”
