Chinese president to make state visit to U.S. in Sept

BEIJING. KAZINFORM - Chinese President Xi Jinping accepted an invitation to pay a state visit to the United States this fall in talks over the telephone with U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday that also underlined the differences between the two powers in cyber security and other politically sensitive issues, officials said.

Xi accepted Obama's invitation to pay a state visit to the United States in September during the phone call, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during a regular press briefing. A White House statement following the call said that Obama urged Xi to "narrow our differences" on cyber issues, a source of serious friction between the two countries, which frequently exchange accusations of cyber espionage. Xi urged Obama to stay out of China's internal affairs, making specific reference to Taiwan and Tibet, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. Last week, Obama appeared at an event in Washington with the Dalai Lama, calling him a "good friend" and praising him as an inspiration for those working to increase "the freedom and dignity of all human beings." Although the two leaders did not meet directly, the move angered Beijing, which is sensitive about separatist sentiment in Tibet and often tries to pressure foreign leaders away from meetings with the religious leader. During the telephone call, Obama and Xi also discussed several areas of potential cooperation, including working towards a bilateral investment treaty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the Paris Climate Summit this December. Xi's U.S. trip, according to Hua, will coincide with activities scheduled to take place at the United Nations in September. Chinese media reported Wednesday that Xi will travel to New York to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the organization. Xi last visited the United States in June 2013 for talks with Obama at the Sunnylands retreat in California. He has yet to make a formal state visit to Washington since becoming China's top leader about two years ago. In November, Xi and Obama spent more than 10 hours together in Beijing discussing issues ranging from climate change and regional security to human rights and North Korea's denuclearization. China has been seeking what it calls a new model of major-power relations with the United States, but numerous thorny issues remain between the two countries, including Beijing's increasing assertion of its territorial claims in the East and South China seas, and accusations over cyber-espionage. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice said last week that Obama has invited Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for state visits this year, without specifying when they are scheduled to take place. Japan and the United States are trying to arrange Abe's visit for late April or early May, according to diplomatic sources. Source: Kyodo