By Li Hongmei
The Chinese and the U.S. presidents will hold their first summit in California in June, both sides have announced. Xi, during his trip, will also visit Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico, the Xinhua News Agency reported, quoting the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Xi Jinping and Barack Obama will meet for wide ranging talks from 7-8 June at an estate in Rancho Mirage, Washington said.
"President Obama and President Xi will hold in depth discussions on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues," a U.S. statement said. "They will review progress and challenges in U.S.-China relations over the past four years and discuss ways to enhance cooperation, while constructively managing our differences, in the years ahead."
The meeting will be the first between the two leaders since Xi became the Chinese President of in March and Barack Obama won reelection, even if the Obama administration has since dispatched Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey, among other officials, to Beijing.
Both leaders have also talked by phone and Obama hosted China's incoming Ambassador to the U.S. Cui Tiankai at the White House in April.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) said on Monday that "National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon will travel to Beijing on May 26-28 to prepare for this meeting between President Barack Obama and President Xi." This was also confirmed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at Monday's regular press conference. Donilon has long served as President Obama's point man on relations with China.
Qin also highlighted the significance of the meeting, saying it will bolster the long-term, sound and steady development of the China-US relations, and promote the peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.
It is believed that the first Xi-Obama meeting will chart out a new landscape for bilateral ties in the years to come, as the two new leaders have already pledged to develop a new type of great power relationship.
