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Xi Jinping (1953), President of China, Visits the U.S.A. (Sep 22 - Sep 28, 2015)


DonRocks

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As President of ChinaXi Jinpingarrives in Washington, DC today, I ask myself if he is the least famous person in this part of the world, relative to his position of importance.

Pope Francis visits for a few days, and it is one of the most publicized, famous events in the recent history of our nation's capital, but then the day after, the *President of China* arrives, and nobody even knows he's here. Don't get me wrong: I'm not taking anything away from the Pope, but the differential in popularity between the two visits is remarkable.

What do people make of this? Is it because a presidential visit - even if it is the President of China - is so routine that it's just not that big a deal? Is it because so many people love Pope Francis? (I doubt Pope Benedict XVI would have received this much attention.)

If you asked the average person on the street in DC who the President of China is, I honestly think they wouldn't be able to answer correctly. Maybe I'm wrong. (And if I'm not wrong, this speaks more about Americans than it does President Xi.)

"Xi Jinping's U.S. Visit" on xivisit.nbr.org

"Xi Jinping, Chinese Leader, Has Weighty Agenda and Busy Schedule for U.S. Visit" by Jane Perlez and Yufan Huang on nytimes.com

"Obama and Xi Jinping of China Agree to Steps on Cybertheft" by Julie Herschfeld Davis, David E. Sanger, and Jane Perlez on nytimes.com

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