Like all seasoned travellers, President Hu Jintao knew to pack some gifts before his United States trip to endear himself to some potentially hostile hosts.
Facing criticism over China's record on intellectual property protection, resistance to currency reforms and the country's burgeoning trade and foreign exchange surplus, Mr Hu's choice of gifts was aimed squarely at securing positive headlines and a soft stance from Washington.
'We will earnestly protect intellectual property rights,' Mr Hu told Microsoft chief executive Bill Gates in Seattle. And to ensure the promise did not ring hollow, he threw in a new mandate requiring all computers made on the mainland to be installed with legal operating systems before leaving the factory.
Lucrative contracts were signed by Microsoft and China's four leading PC manufacturers - Lenovo, Founder Technology, TCL Group and Tsinghua Tongfang, creating the impression of real change in China's software market.
But an old saying goes that 'to say nothing is half the art of diplomacy', and a closer inspection of the promises made last week suggests that many parts will not create a promising whole.
'I think it is big news, but more so for political reasons - at least in the short term,' Gartner analyst Simon Ye said. 'China-US negotiations are ongoing and it is quite common for the Chinese government to appear prepared to move on issues that the US is worried about.'
