China and US focus on economic confidence

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping has told visiting US Vice President Joe Biden that China and the United States share a responsibility for boosting global market confidence.

Their talks focused on reducing the mistrust between the world’s two biggest economies over things like the yuan currency, the trade gap, piracy of intellectual property, human rights US arms sales to Taiwan.

“I would suggest that there is no more important relationship that we need to establish on the part of the United States than a close relationship with China,” Biden told Xi in the Great Hall of the People, a cavernous ceremonial chamber.

He added: “I am absolutely confident that the economic stability of the world rests in no small part on cooperation between the United States and China.”

Biden stressed this trip is mostly a get-to-know-you exercise to establish a close relationship with Xi, who is likely to be China’s next president.

All that schmoozing obviously makes one hungry, and after his meeting with Xi, Biden continued the charm offensive by visited a Beijing restaurant where the speciality is a local delicacy – pig liver stir fried with vinegar and soy sauce.

But the vice president stuck with plainer fare – pork buns, noodles and cucumbers.

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