Chinese President Xi’s September 2015 State Visit
Updated October 7, 2015
Chinese President Xi’s September 2015 State Visit
Introduction
September 26 to 28, President Xi visited the United Nations
headquarters in New York for the 70th meeting of the U.N.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (his family name, Xi, is
General Assembly. Among other things, he announced
pronounced “Shee”) made his first state visit to the United
major new Chinese contributions to U.N. peacekeeping
States, and his second U.S. visit as president, in September
operations and military assistance to the African Union.
2015. He was the fourth leader of the People’s Republic of
China to make a state visit to the United States, following in
Outcomes Documents
the footsteps of Li Xiannian in 1985, Jiang Zemin in 1997,
and Hu Jintao in 2011. The visit came at a time of tension
As has been the practice since 2011, the two countries did
in the U.S.-China relationship. The United States has been
not issue a joint statement. Instead, they conveyed
critical of China on such issues as its alleged cyber
outcomes through the two presidents’ joint press
espionage, slow pace of economic reforms, island building
conference; a Joint Presidential Statement on Climate
in disputed waters in the South China Sea, harsh treatment
Change; identical negotiated bullet points on economic
of lawyers, dissidents, and ethnic minorities, and pending
relations and cyber security, issued separately by each
restrictive legislation on foreign organizations. Even as the
country; and bullet points on other issues, issued separately
White House prepared to welcome President Xi, it was
and not identical in wording. Several general statements
developing possible sanctions against Chinese firms and
about the bilateral relationship were included in China’s
individuals over alleged cyber-espionage against U.S.
outcomes document, but not in U.S. documents. They
firms. Ultimately, the summit between the two presidents
included a Chinese assertion that the United States and
appeared to produce some progress on two priority issues
China “... agreed to continue the endeavor to build a new
for the United States—cyber security and bilateral
model of major-country relationship ... based on mutual
commercial ties—but less on such issues as maritime
respect and win-win cooperation.” They also included a
disputes and human rights. As expected, the two countries
Chinese statement that, “China respects the traditional
announced further cooperation in several areas, including
influence and practical interests of the United States in the
climate change and military-to-military relations. They also
Asia-Pacific and welcomes the United States to continue to
pledged to cooperate in a new area, global development
play a positive and constructive role in regional affairs.”
work.
The “new model” language was first proposed by President
The State Visit: Itinerary
Xi in 2012, when he was China’s vice-president. U.S.
officials, including President Obama, initially mentioned
President Xi and his wife, People’s Liberation Army singer
the concept in their public remarks, reportedly as a way of
Peng Liyuan, started their U.S. trip on September 22 in the
signaling that the United States agreed on the need to try to
state of Washington, where President Xi’s schedule
head off strategic rivalry. Since 2013, however, U.S.
included visits to Boeing Company and Microsoft
officials have grown concerned that China is using the
Corporation, participation in a China-U.S. Internet Industry
“mutual respect” part of the formulation to suggest,
Forum, and a policy speech in Seattle. On September 24,
misleadingly, that the United States has committed to
President Xi and Madame Peng flew to Washington, DC,
respect China’s “core interests,” which include maintenance
where they were met by Vice President Joe Biden and
of Communist Party rule and defense of sovereignty and
Second Lady Jill Biden. That evening, President Obama
territorial integrity, including China’s claims to Taiwan and
and President Xi engaged in two and a half hours of
features in the East China Sea and South China Sea. While
conversation over a “no tie,” private dinner at Blair House.
the United States no longer uses the term, it has not
On September 25, President Xi was accorded an arrival
objected to China’s continuing to reference U.S. agreement
ceremony on the White House South Lawn, with a 21-gun
on the broad concept.
salute, the standard for leaders on state visits. He and
President Obama met in the Oval Office, and in an enlarged
Outcomes in “Areas of Disagreement”
meeting in the Cabinet Room, and then held a joint press
conference in the White House Rose Garden. President Xi
The White House presented the Xi state visit as “an
and Madame Peng were the guests of honor at a lunch at the
opportunity to expand U.S.-China cooperation on a range of
State Department—also customary for state visits—hosted
global, regional, and bilateral issues of mutual interest,
by Vice President Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry.
while also enabling President Obama and President Xi to
That afternoon, President Xi traveled to Capitol Hill to meet
address areas of disagreement constructively.” Much of the
with congressional leaders and other Members. In the
summit focused on areas of disagreement, discussed below.
evening, President Xi and Madame Peng were honored with
a state dinner in the East Room of the White House, the
Cybersecurity. President Obama stated on September 16
ninth state dinner of the Obama presidency. From
that his administration viewed alleged Chinese cyber theft
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Chinese President Xi’s September 2015 State Visit
of trade secrets as “an act of aggression that has to stop.” At
and military and civilian construction work on disputed
the summit, the two countries agreed, first, that, “timely
reefs in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, with the
responses should be provided to requests for information
United States particularly concerned about implications for
and assistance concerning malicious cyber activities.” A
freedom of navigation. President Obama said he told
high-level joint dialogue mechanism, scheduled to meet
President Xi, “that the United States will continue to sail,
twice-yearly, will “review the timeliness and quality of
fly and operate anywhere that international law allows.”
responses to requests for information and assistance.”
President Xi surprised many U.S. officials by stating that,
Second, the two countries agreed that “neither country’s
“China does not intend to pursue militarization” in the
government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-
Spratly Islands. What President Xi meant by the statement
enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets
is unclear, but U.S. officials immediately sought to build on
or other confidential business information, with the intent
it. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said on
of providing competitive advantage to companies or
October 2 that, “... naturally, we will, as others will, be
commercial sectors.” Third, they agreed that at the
discussing in detail with the Chinese the steps that they are
international level, they would create a senior experts group
taking and will take to ensure that they are in no way
for discussions on identifying and promoting “appropriate
militarizing the land features that ... they have built by
norms of state behavior in cyberspace.”
dredging sand from the South China Sea.”
The pledge not to support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual
Human Rights and Civil Society. President Obama said
property appeared to signal Chinese acceptance, for the first
he told President Xi, “that preventing journalists, lawyers,
time, of the distinction the U.S. government draws between
NGOs and civil society groups from operating freely, or
cyber intrusions for national security purposes and those for
closing churches and denying ethnic minorities equal
commercial benefit. In Seattle, before the summit, however,
treatment are all problematic, in our view, and actually
President Xi still appeared to equate them, saying, “Both
prevent China and its people from realizing its full
commercial cybertheft and hacking against government
potential.” President Xi acknowledged democracy and
networks are crimes that must be punished in accordance
human rights as “the common pursuit of mankind,” but
with law and relevant international treaties.” Asked if he
appeared to reject U.S. criticism when he insisted on
was satisfied with China’s steps on cyber, President Obama
respect for the right of the people of all countries “to choose
said at the joint press conference that he would be watching
their own development path independently.”
now to see, “are words followed by actions.” He said he
told President Xi that the United States has at its disposal
Outcomes in “Issues of Mutual Interest”
both traditional law enforcement tools and the ability to
impose sanctions, and that “... we will apply those and
Outcomes documents from the summit highlighted areas of
whatever other tools we have in our toolkit to go after cyber
cooperation. On climate change, the two leaders committed
criminals, either retrospectively or prospectively.”
to work together for “an ambitious, successful” outcome to
efforts to conclude a new global agreement under the
Economic Issues. Seeking to address U.S. concerns about
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
the climate in China for U.S. businesses, the two sides
(UNFCCC) in Paris in December 2015. (See CRS In Focus
agreed that technology standards should be developed in a
IF10296, New Climate Change Joint Announcement by
transparent way, with industry participation. They agreed
China and the United States.) The two countries also
that competition policy and efforts to strengthen
announced that they had completed new annexes to two
cybersecurity in commercial sectors should not discriminate
memoranda of understanding signed by the U.S. and
against foreign companies. Both sides pledged not to
Chinese militaries in November 2014, including one
“require the transfer of intellectual property rights or
outlining rules for air-to-air encounters. The two coast
technology as a condition of doing business in their
guards will now seek to produce their own rules for surface-
respective markets.” The two sides did not release
to-surface encounters. A new memorandum of
enforcement details for these and other commitments,
understanding between the U.S. Agency for International
several of which repeated past Chinese pledges. In addition,
Development (USAID) and China’s Ministry of Commerce
President Xi stated in Seattle that, despite a 4.4%
for the first time provides a framework for cooperation on
depreciation of the renminbi in August 2015, China would
global development work. Other areas of cooperation
not seek to weaken its currency as a means to stimulate
highlighted at the summit included efforts to rein in the
exports. The two sides reportedly made progress towards
nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, support
reaching a bilateral investment treaty (BIT). While they
economic development and reconciliation in Afghanistan,
announced no breakthrough, they pledged to “intensify”
stem the transnational flow of terrorist fighters, crack down
negotiations. Patching up frictions related to China’s launch
on wildlife trafficking, and conserve oceans. The two sides
of a new multilateral development bank (MDB), the two
also reported progress on repatriating Chinese fugitives and
countries pledged to work together to strengthen existing
Chinese illegal immigrants from the United States to China,
MDBs, with China saying it will “meaningfully increase its
announced a 2016 US-China Tourism Year, and pledged to
role as a donor.” They also agreed that new institutions
expand Chinese-language teaching in the United States.
should operate with the “high environmental and
governance standards” of existing institutions.
Susan V. Lawrence, Specialist in Asian Affairs
Wayne M. Morrison, Specialist in Asian Trade and
Maritime Disputes. The United States and other nations
Finance
have strongly criticized China’s extensive land reclamation
IF10291
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Chinese President Xi’s September 2015 State Visit
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