Obama, Xi explore new momentum in relations

The two leaders had not been expected to meet until the G20 summit in Russia in September. But both sides, sensing uncertainty seeping into a complicated and often difficult relationship, saw value in an earlier encounter Rancho Mirage (AFP): Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping opened their crucial first summit on Friday, both calling for a new approach to relations between the US superpower and China, the rising giant. Obama and Xi inaugurated a partnership that will shape the crucial relations between their countries for years to come with handshake in the grounds of the sumptuous Annenberg resort, under a blazing California sun.

Their laid-back summit, stripped of the normal pageantry of Sino-US meet-ups, was called in a bid to forge a personal bond between Xi, who has just assumed full power as Chinese leader, and Obama, who is beginning his second term. He told reporters, before a meeting to be followed by an intimate private dinner, that he wanted to achieve "a new model of cooperation" with Beijing. He also wasted no time in hitting a key theme of the visit from the US side � complaints of an alleged Chinese Internet spying effort targeting American military and commercial secrets and intellectual property. Obama said both sides should "work together" on issues such as cyber security. Allegations that China has waged a cyber-hacking campaign against the United States are likely to dominate the talks, which will also take up the constant trade niggles that have soured ties between the world's two largest economies. But Obama also has a wider purpose � trying to glean the strategic vision of the man set to guide a fast-growing China through the rest of his own presidency, with major effects on Obama's own foreign policy legacy. The 59-year-old Xi holds credibility as the son of one of China's founding revolutionaries and speaks in a confident, free-flowing style, a shift from the stilted formality of his predecessor Hu Jintao that frustrated the White House. The two leaders had not been expected to meet until the G20 summit in Russia in September. But both sides, sensing uncertainty seeping into a complicated and often difficult relationship, saw value in an earlier encounter. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that Obama wanted "an informal atmosphere" and hoped "to see if there are broader opportunities for us to expand those issues on which we cooperate." Speaking through an interpreter, Xi said they were meeting to chart the future of China-US relations and draw a blueprint for this relationship and continue their cooperation. "At present, the China-US relationship has reached a new historical starting point. Our two countries have vast convergence of shared interests, from promoting our respective economic growth at home to ensuring the stability of the global economy; from addressing international and regional hotspot issues to dealing with all kinds of global challenges. On all these issues, our two countries need to increase exchanges and cooperation," said the Chinese President.