Yutong Gu, GMBA Class of 2017, and Daniel Cowen, GMBA Class of 2017 

The year of 2015 was a busy period for Chinese diplomats, as officials of the Chinese government engaged in many high-level international events throughout the year. The most predominant and influential foreign affair was no doubt President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the United States and the United Kingdom. From the campus of Microsoft in Seattle to the front lawn of the Whitehouse in Washington, D.C.; from the banquet hall of Buckingham Palace in London to the pub table of Plough at Cadsden in Princes Risborough; President Xi’s visit to the U.S. and UK was not only an important foreign relations event, it also symbolized China’s growing presence on the world stage. 

President Xi began his visit to the United States on September 22, opening his seven-day journey with attendance at the Third U.S.-China Governors' Forum in Seattle, where six Chinese provincial governors met with five U.S. state governors to discuss a variety of topics regarding increased collaboration between the two countries. The following morning, President Xi’s participation at the U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum was possibly the most publicized news story of the trip, as he met with a group of the world’s most recognized CEOs from some of America’s and China’s top technology companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, IBM, Facebook, Alibaba, Tencent, JD, and Lenovo. It is noteworthy that many of the headline CEOs at the forum are also members of the Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board, such as Alibaba’s chairman Jack Ma, Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg and Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. In the same day, Xi also paid a visit to the Global Innovation Exchange, a school co-founded by the University of Washington and Tsinghua University that focuses on cutting-edge technology innovation. During the first two days of the trip, the Chinese president’s discussions at multiple events emphasized the positive outlook on the Chinese economy, increased market access to China for multinational companies, and China’s growing economic ties with America. 

From September 24 to 25, President Xi’s focus shifted to political affairs as he arrived in Washington, D.C., where he met U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State John Kerry as well as many other U.S. state officials and congressional leaders. A wide range of topics, including the economy, cyber-security, the South China Sea, climate change and anti-corruption drive were discussed between the leaders of the world’s two most powerful countries. The visit to the U.S. capital ended on a high note with a state dinner at the White House's North Portico attended by Xi, Obama, both first ladies, Peng Liyuan and Michelle Obama, as well as two hundred-plus guests. In the final three days of his trip, President Xi went to New York City and participated in a number of United Nations events, including chairing the Global Leaders’ Meeting on General Equality and Women’s Empowerment and giving his first UN speech at the 70th United Nations General Assembly. Xi pledged to invest $12 billion in support of the UN’s new global sustainable development goals and to increase contributions in international peacekeeping missions, highlighting China’s growing commitment to the world’s peaceful development. 

On October 19, President Xi started his five-day state visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with three generations of the Royal family as well as the head of state of the UK government. Sharing a golden carriage with Queen Elizabeth II, President Xi arrived at Buckingham Palace on the morning of October 20, where he also met with Prince Philip, his wife Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, and later addressed the British Parliament. For the next two days, Xi visited Imperial College London and joined with British Prime Minister David Cameron at the latter’s country retreat at Chequers, where the two also enjoyed a pint of IPA beer with sh and chips at a nearby English pub. The Chinese president wrapped up the UK visit with a trip to Manchester on October 23, showing his interest in soccer by touring the Etihad Stadium and the Manchester City Football Academy. This state visit is a hallmark of the ever-increasing cooperation between China and the UK, with a total of 62 billion USD worth of economic agreements signed during the five days, leading the media to describe Sino-UK relations as having entered a “golden age”. 

The two successful and fruitful state visits to the United States and United Kingdom by President Xi Jinping are a huge step forward for two of the world’s most important bilateral foreign relationships and are examples that showcase China’s pursuit of an international order that is based on practical win-win cooperation.