blank

Voice of America ®

Trusted Source of News & Information since 1942

About VOA | Contact VOA News

  • Saturday, 21 November 2009
  • Latest News:

News RSS Feeds RSS Feed

Obama Visits China With Closer Ties in Mind

Share This

U.S. President Barack Obama arrives at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Sunday, 15 Nov. 2009
AP Photo
U.S. President Barack Obama arrives at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China, Sunday, 15 Nov. 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama is on his first official trip to China, where he is expected to discuss the economy and climate change.

Mr. Obama arrived late Sunday in Shanghai. He is to meet city leaders and university students there on Monday. He then will travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders that will continue through Wednesday.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described Washington's relationship with Beijing Sunday as positive and cooperative.

She told U.S. television NBC's "Meet the Press" Washington wants to have a much more comprehensive engagement. She said there have been positive results already in Beijing's approval of international sanctions against North Korea and its support for engaging Iran on its nuclear program. 

China has bought more than $1 trillion in U.S. debt. Clinton said Sunday that President Obama understands the U.S. has to resume control of its fiscal sovereignty over time.

The White House says the president will talk to students about the U.S.-China relationship at a town hall meeting in Shanghai Monday. He will take questions from the audience and from people who submitted questions on various Web sites, including Xinhuanet, Sohu and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

The U.S. president says Washington seeks to deepen its cooperation with Beijing, not contain the Asian power.

In a major speech on Asian affairs in Tokyo Saturday, Mr. Obama said the United States welcomes China's efforts to play a great role in the world.

But he said the U.S. will never waver in speaking up for values it cherishes and said a discussion about human rights can take place in a spirit of partnership.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters. 


Welcome to the new VOANews.com


We'd like to hear what you think of the site - please e-mail us: VOANews@VOANews.com

Video Features

From the Newsroom

From the Newsroom

Afghan Politics - Analysis by Gary Thomas

More »

GoingGreen

Going Green

Watch: The United States debates cutting its carbon dioxide emissions.

More »

Money in Motion

Money in Motion

Watch: Will the declining dollar remain the world's reserve currency?

More »

Now You Know

Now You Know

Watch: A look at the origin and history of the Internet.

More »

The Link

The Link

Have you discovered a Web link you'd like to share with the world?

More »

Most Popular Article

Special Reports

VOA Blogs

Most E-mailed Articles