Xi Jinping In Los Angeles: Chinese Vice President Meets With Governor Jerry Brown & Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (VIDEO)

LOS ANGELES — Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping began the last day of his U.S. visit Friday by urging closer ties and arguing that Americans benefit from their trade relationship with China.

"A prosperous and stable China will not be a threat to any country," Xi said. "It will only be a positive force for world peace and development."

Xi, who is expected to become president of the world's most populous nation next year, started his fourth day in the United States at a downtown Los Angeles trade conference hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. His American counterpart, Vice President Joe Biden, joined him later.

California Gov. Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa both lauded the U.S.-China relationship.

"We've got a great future together," said Brown, who announced plans to open a new trade and investment office in China. China is a major trade partner with Los Angeles, which has greatly benefited from its Pacific Rim position and has courted Chinese businesses and their potential jobs.

A day earlier, Xi toured the Port of Los Angeles, the nation's busiest port complex. Nearly 60 percent of the imports moving through the port come from China.

U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson also encouraged more Chinese investment, commenting that "America is truly open for business." However, he called for balancing the economic and trade relationship, which has been a lightning rod for critics of China.

Trade between the two countries increased exponentially last year but the U.S. trade deficit also grew by 30 percent, Bryson said.

"We have to work harder to achieve balanced trade growth," he said.

Any view that the U.S. is the loser in its trade relationship with China "does not square with facts," Xi said through a translator.

Chinese imports have helped Americans improve their standard of living and created more than 3 million new jobs in the U.S. from 2001 to 2010, Xi said.

U.S.-China trade is expected to top $500 billion soon, and the countries have moved from "mutual estrangement to a close exchange with increasingly intertwined interests," he said.

Outside the hotel hosting the trade forum, picketers protested Chinese policies in Tibet and its treatment of Falun Gong followers. Two protesters were cited for standing in the roadway but no one was arrested, Los Angeles Police spokesman Cleon Joseph said.

After the trade forum, Xi and Biden visited a suburban school in South Gate that specializes in Asian studies to promote more American students studying in China.

The vice presidents watched a traditional Chinese "dragon dance" performed by middle- and high-school students at the International Studies Learning Center, a public school that is part of the Asia Society's network of schools across the country.

"You are an impressive group of students," Biden said. "Thank you for making America look so good."

Biden told the students that the U.S.-China relationship is the single most important relationship the country has in the 21st century. He said he and President Barack Obama believe that the most significant factor in improving U.S.-China ties is increasing educational opportunity for American students in China.

Under the 100,000 Strong Initiative, the White House aims to have at least that many American students studying in China.

Xi, who spoke with a class of high school students learning Chinese, lauded their Mandarin skills, saying it was important to learn the culture as well as the language to avoid misunderstandings.

Later, Xi and Biden both addressed a luncheon at the trade forum, saying how they had developed a close, personal friendship through visits. "I can say with confidence my visit has been a full success," Xi said.

The officials then met with governors of seven Chinese provinces and five U.S. states and one U.S. territory – the Northern Mariana Islands – to further promote commerce.

"We have a significant opportunity to increase trade with China but we have some impediments on both sides," Biden said. "We are working through them. We are convinced they can be overcome."

Biden said he appreciated Xi's candor. "He is very, very direct. When we disagree, there's a clear statement of disagreement," Biden said. "I was impressed by how much he wants to know about how our system works."

Xi was scheduled to attend a Lakers game before departing.

Xi's U.S. tour comes at a politically challenging time in U.S.-China relations, with the White House sending stern messages on currency exchange, intellectual property protection and trade policies, and Republican presidential candidates claiming Obama isn't doing enough to keep America's economy competitive with China's.

The Asian power sells four times as many goods to the U.S. as the United States sends in return to China. However, China became the top market for U.S. agricultural goods last year, purchasing $20 billion in U.S. agricultural exports, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Contact Hoag at http://twitter.com/ChristinaHoag

Comments

[vkmo]

11:38 AM on 02/17/2012

Jerry Brown should have a conference with Obama. Obama got Osama and it's time to get tough on communist red china during Xi's visit. Because California is hurting.

Communist red china is ruled by successors of mao-dze-dung, the anti-west guerrilla leader. china has abused Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo by keeping him in jail indefinitely, refusing Nobel Peace winner Dalai Lama entry into Tibet and china for over 53 years, and imposing on Nobel Peace winner Obama by china pegging its currency value at a fraudulent rate vs US dollar resulting in its massive trade imbalances with US and worldwide. This is a partial list -- there's also the issue of owning ALL of South China sea- as though it was china's internal lake - (neighboring countries have no rights) and a host of others....

china violates human rights, violates international sea and land territorial laws. You have to remember it attacked and conquered Tibet. It's using its power to abuse its own people, and neighboring countries. It created and is rattling its nuclear weapons, when it is not threatened by anybody. It should be thankful to US for freeing it from Japan after WWII, but instead it fought US in Korea and Vietnam. Actually it is US constraints which have prevented Japan and Taiwan from becoming nuclear powers to counter China.

[general j1]

05:12 PM on 02/17/2012

Your entire argument is based on lies and brainwash-media. First of all, Mao lead Chinese people fought the formal corrupted ROC government. He is not anti-west, but he fought anyone who tried to meddle in Chinese affair, which western people were doing and still are doing. And Nobel Peace Prize is a joke, they just give it to anyone who against Communism.

Tibet is part of China for thousand of years. If you blame China conquered Tibet, you Americans should have no territory at all, since you conquered yours recent 200 years.

US has a nuclear weapon stock 10 times bigger than Chinese, refuse to commit not to use it first like China did, and always threaten others with it. And thank you very much, when US start to fight Japan in WWII, China has fought them for 4 years. We can handle ourselves.