20 September 2015

Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit: What You Need to Know

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Presented by the National Bureau of Asian Research

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On September 22, President Xi Jinping will arrive in Seattle for a series of private meetings with top U.S. business leaders and his only public address. This will be his first stop in his state visit to the United States, which will also take him to Washington, D.C., as well as the U.N. General Assembly in New York. See Schedule

For 25 years, The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) has sustained a focus on China’s emergence as a regional and then global power and its impact on U.S. interests and policy. In advance of this visit and during its course, NBR will provide new content and regular updates via this website dedicated to President Xi’s visit, as well as through planned live expert briefings and scheduled meetings.

VISIT SCHEDULE

Detailed Schedule for President Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit

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BACKGROUND TO SCHEDULE

Before the trip, current Washington State governor Jay Inslee appointed former Washington State governors Gary Locke and Christine Gregoire to chair a host committee to welcome Xi Jinping in Seattle. The Washington State Welcoming Committee includes prominent leaders from the state:

  • Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes
  • Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft Corporation
  • Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks Coffee Company
  • Ana Mari Cauce, Interim President of the University of Washington
  • Susan Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines
  • Jerry Lee, Chairman of MulvannyG2
  • Ted Baseler, President and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
  • Christian Schlect, President of Northwest Horticultural Council
  • Assunta Ng, Founder and Publisher of Seattle Chinese Post and Northwest Asian Weekly

A DETAILED SCHEDULE OF PRESIDENT XI JINPING’S VISIT

Tuesday, Sept. 22

President Xi will land in Seattle, where he will be welcomed by former Washington governors Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke, who is also a former ambassador to China, among other notable leaders.

A banquet will be held Tuesday evening, at which President Xi is expected to give his only policy speech of the trip. In the audience will be industry leaders and dignitaries, including former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. The event is sponsored by the National Committee on United States–China Relations and the U.S.-China Business Council.

In association with President Xi Jinping’s visit, governors from five U.S. states will meet in Seattle with Chinese counterparts to discuss clean technology and economic development at the third U.S.-China Governors’ Forum. The office of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee stated on Friday that in addition to Inslee, the U.S. governors include Jerry Brown from California, Rick Snyder from Michigan, Terry Branstad from Iowa, and Kate Brown from Oregon. Inslee’s office said the following Chinese governors would be attending: Sichuan Party Secretary Wang Dongming, Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun, Chongqing Mayor Huang Qifan, Zhejiang Governor Li Qiang, Shandong Governor Guo Shuqing, and Shaanxi Governor Lou Qinjian.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

President Xi will attend the annual U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum with chief executives of U.S. and Chinese tech companies. The forum will be held at the Microsoft campus in Redmond and sponsored by Microsoft and the Internet Society of China. Lu Wei, China’s Internet policies and cybersecurity administrator, will be in attendance.

President Xi will also attend a dialogue at the Westin Hotel with business leaders from China and the United States. The executives are expected to discuss increased market access and their views on China’s economic-reform efforts. The event is sponsored by the Paulson Institute, a Chicago-based think tank that focuses on U.S.-China economic issues. Among the industries represented will be entertainment, finance, tourism, and technology. CEOs from Apple, Baidu, Facebook, IBM, Google, and Uber have been invited.

President Xi will visit Boeing’s Everett factory, its largest production site for commercial airplanes. Boeing chairman Jim McNerney, president and CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and president and CEO of commercial airplanes Ray Conner will be present during the tour.

Tuesday or Wednesday (Scheduling for these events to be determined)

President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan will tour Lincoln High School in Tacoma, which he visited in 1993 when he was an official in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province on China’s southeastern coast. The visit comes 21 years after Tacoma and Fuzhou established a sister-city relationship. At that time, Xi was chairman of the Standing Committee of the Fuzhou Municipal People’s Congress.

President Xi will attend a private gathering with members of the Chinese community.

Thursday, Sept. 24

President Xi will arrive in Washington, D.C. He will attend a working dinner at the White House with President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

Friday, Sept. 25

President Xi will be greeted with a 21-gun salute at the White House and hold a joint news conference with President Obama. Secretary Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden will host a lunch for him at the U.S. State Department. This event will be followed by a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional leaders and by a state dinner at the White House.

Saturday, Sept. 26

President Xi will arrive in New York for events at the United Nations headquarters.

Sunday, Sept. 27

President Xi will address the UN General Assembly. He will also attend the UN Sustainable Development Summit.

China and the United Nations are hosting the Global Leaders’ Meeting on General Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action. President Xi is scheduled to make opening remarks and to serve as chairman of the first session.