DonRocks Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 As President of China, Xi Jinping, arrives 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 "Xi hosting a meeting on women's rights at the UN while persecuting feminists? Shameless."-- Hillary Rodham Clinton's tweet about Xi Jinping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveO Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 A grim perspective on possible future US China relations, based on a reading of history: "The Thucydides Trap: Are the U.S. and China Headed for War?" by Graham Allison on theatlantic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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