China's presidential heir apparent to visit Southern California
Ben Baeder, Staff Writerwhittierdailynews.com
Posted: 02/15/2012 07:43:27 PM PST
Following his visit to Washington D.C. and Iowa, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping will visit Los Angeles today and Friday during a tour intended to highlight the economic and cultural ties between the world's most populous nation and the U.S. state with the most people and largest economy.
Xi, who will likely become president of the People's Republic of China next year, will meet with Gov. Jerry Brown and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The California leaders will welcome Xi at Los Angeles International Airport, and they will then tour a shipping terminal at the port.
Xi's full schedule has not been released, but he will also be at the JW Marriot in downtown Los Angeles and is expected to attend a Lakers game Friday.
On Friday, Brown will address Chinese and American business leaders about trade. The governor is expected to meet privately with Xi in Los Angeles and then host a round-table that includes other governors and Chinese provincial leaders.
Brown, a Democrat, said he wants to foster the state's relationship with China's next leader and encourage foreign investment in the state.
"China has trillions of dollars in reserves and they're going to be investing that increasingly throughout the world. I would like to see some of that money come into California for productive investment," the governor said Wednesday.
Brown, who has studied Zen Buddhism, said he does not plan to raise thorny issues between the two countries, such as Buddhist clergy opposed to Chinese rule in Tibet or labor practices in China.
"I'm going to concentrate on jobs and investment in California," he said. "That's my goal."
While hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese live in the San Gabriel Valley, few of those approached Wednesday were willing to discuss the leader's visit to the region.
Though one professor who specializes in Asian studies said "I want to be a cultural bridge to China," he declined to discuss the visit on the record.
"You know, it's a very sensitive topic."
To call the United States' relationship with China complicated may be an understatement.
The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner, scholar Liu Xiaobo, is locked in a Chinese prison.
Officials in the U.S. government, especially Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, have consistently criticized China for intentionally devaluing its currency.
Geithner in January also accused China of stealing technology from U.S. companies.
For Chinese dissidents, such as practitioners of the Falun Gong religion, Xi's visit should be marked by strong calls by the Obama administration for China to respect human rights.
Zhenhua Shi of San Gabriel was one of about 100 members of the Falun Gong protesting at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles.
She and other members of Falun Gong in the United States said practitioners of the religion in China are forced to renounce their faith or be thrown in jail.
Shi said she was not worried the protest would stir up Chinese sentiment against Falun Gong in China.
"This can only make it more clear and bring attention to what is happening there," she said.
Phone calls to the Chinese consulate on Wednesday were not answered.
Chinese dissident and former Chinese national basketball player Kai Chen said the purpose of Xi's visit to the United States is more a right of passage than a serious effort at diplomacy.
"The real purpose is to show the Chinese people he is legitimate," he said. "It's just a big show. He's trying to tell everybody that `I'm not going to rock the boat."'
Xi will start his transition as leader of China later this year. He met Tuesday with President Barack Obama in getting acquainted with the U.S.
He is set to replace Hu Jintao as leader of China's communist party later this year, then succeed him as president in 2013.
Alhambra Councilman Stephen Sham, who migrated to the United States from Beijing, said he was honored that Xi chose to visit Southern California.
"Certainly we have have a large Chinese American community here," Sham said. "And certainly we're appreciative he would come. There are so many Chinese Americans here who want to have good friendships with China."
He said he wasn't qualified to comment on China's human rights record.
"Each country and each area has their own unique way," he said. "But we've got to give them credit for having the world's most populous country, which is fairly stable right now. That's 1.3 billion people they have to govern."
"To me, I think it's great that he comes to the United States to start the dialogue," Sham said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
Contact Ben via email or by phone at 626-962-8811, ext. 2911.
Copyright 2012 Whittier Daily News. All rights reserved.
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