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By Shannon Tiezzi
Expect a flurry of diplomacy leading up to Xi’s first state visit to Washington DC.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been in power for nearly two years (longer, if you begin counting from the time he took over as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party), but he has yet to make a state visit to Washington DC. That is set to change this year, according to officials from both Washington and Beijing.
On Friday, U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice announced that the Obama administration had invited Xi for a state visit, along with several other regional leaders. “I’m pleased to announce today that we have invited Prime Minister Abe of Japan and President Xi of China for state visits, and we look forward to welcoming other Asian leaders to the White House this year — including President Park of South Korea and President Widodo of Indonesia,” Rice said.
China’s ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, also confirmed to reporters that Washington and Beijing are making arrangements for Xi to visit the U.S., according to China Daily. Xi’s visit follows Obama’s state visit to China in November 2014.
Read the full story at The Diplomat