REUTERS

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. Picture: Reuters/ Feng Li/Pool

Washington: China’s leader-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, wooed and warned the US on Wednesday, offering deeper co-operation on trade and global troublespots while demanding Washington heed Beijing’s demands on Tibet and other contentious “core interests.”

Xi, who is almost sure to become China’s next president in just over a year from now, laid out his views on ties with the US in the keynote speech of his visit to Washington.

His message was dominated by reassuring vows about more balanced economic ties and more international co-operation. But he also underscored Beijing’s impatience with US policies on Taiwan and Tibet – issues where many Chinese citizens expect their leaders to show they will stand up to foreign pressure.

“The world is currently undergoing profound changes, and China and the US face shared challenges and shoulder shared responsibilities in international affairs.”

“We should use bilateral and multilateral mechanisms to enhance co-ordination between China and the US on hotspots, including the Korean peninsula and the Iran nuclear issue,” said Xi.

Although his speech revealed no new policies, his offer to work with the US on dealing with Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions could ease US worries. – Reuters