“There is increasing cooperation between the two countries (China and the United States) on climate issues”, said Nathaniel Ahrens, director of China Affairs at the University of Maryland, calling it a “positive factor” of Xi’s upcoming visit.
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Earnest said the discussion would be a continuation of meetings that took place last week, when Chinese officials visited Washington to meet with U.S. security officials.
Back in July, the U.S. accused the Chinese of hacking U.S. computers, from businesses to even the U.S. government’s personnel office, a charge that China denies.
At the meeting, Xi could briefly address the gathering, or a selected group of American and Chinese executives, according to an Obama administration official.
The Obama administration is considering targeted sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies for cyberattacks against US commercial targets, several US officials have said.
“Climate change will be an important item on the agenda of President Xi’s visit to the U.S., and a lot of positive achievements can be expected”, he said, without giving details.
Zhang Kai had recently been based in Zhejiang’s coastal city of Wenzhou, known as “China’s Jerusalem”, to offer pro bono advice to more than 100 Protestant churches facing the removal of their crosses and the detention of pastors, lay preachers, and church members.He was taken away by state security police alongside two legal assistants on Aug. 25, sources told RFA at the time.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that a detailed agenda of the visit will be released in the coming days.
US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has also warned publicly that China would be held responsible for the political and economic impact of its currency policies after last month’s yuan devaluation.
These visits have been seen as indications that both sides want to make Xi’s trip a success despite issues such as cyber hacking and tensions over the South China Sea having cast a shadow over the bilateral relationship.
He insinuated that this would be something he would discuss with the Chinese, making it clear that the US believes cyber attacks will be treated as “a core national security threat”.
A consensus on cyber issues before Xi’s visit eliminates one of the major obstacle to progress, Duowei said, adding that it will open the door to improve opportunities for cooperation between Chinese and American enterprises.
“I would anticipate that he’ll do so in their next meeting, as well”, he added. China is by far the most active in that area, officials say.
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Obama is certain to confront Xi – who is also chairman of China’s Central Military Commission – over a series of maritime moves the White House deems to be provocative. The more appropriate and effective response is to reiterate the U.S. proposal that the region freeze its reclamation activities and sit down to negotiate a joint code of conduct.
