bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Cary Huang

Despite efforts to play down their differences, areas of disagreement between the world's two most powerful nations were still evident.
In two days of marathon talks, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama both pushed their own agendas.
Obama pressed Xi on human rights and the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, while Xi repeatedly reminded his guest that Americans should treat China as an equal.
Speaking to reporters at a joint news conference after their bilateral summit, Obama said China and the US had important differences, but he was encouraged by Xi's willingness to engage constructively.
"There are important differences that we have, both practically as well as our vision for our respective countries and our conduct in foreign policy," Obama said.
"But what I've been very encouraged by is your willingness, Mr President, to engage in constructive dialogue."
In response, Xi said that their common interests outweighed their discord and he hoped that both sides would handle their disagreements through dialogue.
Human rights have long been an area where Washington and Beijing have been at odds. Obama said he broached the topic with Xi, saying universal freedoms were essential "whether it is in New York or Paris or Hong Kong". Xi, in response, said China was willing to engage with the US over the issue and seek a constructive way forward.
Xi insisted China had made "enormous progress" on human rights. "That is a fact that is recognised by all people in the world," he said.
While Obama is trying to consolidate US influence in the region with his "pivot to Asia" strategy, Xi has shown his determination to make China the region's pre-eminent military and economic power.
Relations have suffered over the past year, particularly over China's increasingly assertive approach to maritime territorial disputes with Japan and the Philippines - both US allies. Beijing has been sceptical of Obama's efforts to bolster US influence in the region, believing the strategy is aimed at containing China's rise.
However, Xi said "the Pacific Ocean is broad enough" to accommodate both the US and China.
Trade rivalries between the world's two largest economies were also apparent as they both championed their own free-trade pacts at the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference summit in Beijing earlier this week.
On the sidelines of Apec, China led the initiative on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, while Obama hosted negotiations on the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, which excludes China and Russia, at the US embassy in Beijing.

OVER TO YOU MR PRESIDENT – THOUGHTS FROM THE TWO LEADER
Barack Obama
"What I've been very encouraged by is your willingness, Mr President, to engage in an honest and constructive dialogue around those differences and ensuring that we manage them in a peaceful and effective way."
"I am always working on the assumption that the press gives me a hard time wherever I go, whether in the United States or China."
"Our two countries have enormous stakes in each other's success."
"A strong cooperative relationship with China is at the heart of our pivot to Asia."
 
Xi Jinping
"On the question of human rights, we should never consider our work to be a mission accomplished. It's always a work in progress. And there's always room for improvement."
"China upholds the principle of openness and inclusiveness in the proposals and initiatives it has raised, such as the new security concept for Asia and the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Silk Road Fund."
"It goes without saying that law and order must be maintained according to the law in any place, not just in Hong Kong but also elsewhere in the world."
"The Pacific Ocean is broad enough for both China and the United States."
"Media outlets need to obey China's laws and regulations. When a car breaks down on the road, perhaps we need to get out of the car to see where the problem lies. And when a certain issue is raised as a certain problem, there must be a reason."
"When China and the United States work together, we can become an anchor of world stability and a propeller of world peace."
 


Visa deal to help bridge the US-China divide

Easing visa rules helps build trust between China and US, says Blackstone chief

From leader of the pack to supporting act: How leaders line up at summits

Apec agreements help warm the world's most important bilateral relationship

Apec summit 2014

Differences between China, US evident despite agreement in some areas

US President Barack Obama listens as Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a lunch banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: AP

US President Barack Obama listens as Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at a lunch banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Xi Jinping and Barack Obama agree on raft of measures to boost relations

The two presidents in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: AP

Xi and Obama agree deals to avoid risk of military misunderstanding

US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the end of their news conference in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Reuters

News

China

Despite efforts to play down their differences, areas of disagreement between the world's two most powerful nations were still evident.
