Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping reviews the troops during a ceremony in his honor Tuesday at the Pentagon.
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama assured Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday that the United States welcomes Beijing's rise in the world, offering a warm welcome despite sharp policy differences over Syria, Iran and economic issues.
But the U.S. reiterated longstanding concerns over human rights, which Obama described as a "critical issue."
Xi, who is expected to become China's leader in 2013, defended the communist-governed country's rights record over the past 30 years, but added: "Of course there's always room for improvement on human rights."
His comments, made at a State Department luncheon after meeting Obama at the White House, were similar to those made by President Hu Jintao - the man he is slated to replace as Communist Party leader this fall - during a visit to Washington a year ago.
Underscoring the sensitivity of the rights issues among China's critics, a few hundred protesters marched outside the White House, waving Tibetan flags and calling for a free Tibet.
But Xi's unusually long and high-level visit to the United States reflected the stature he is set to assume, and the importance the Obama administration puts on building ties with Beijing. Both sides stressed the importance of stable relations between the two global powers, and their ability to air differences without recrimination.
"We welcome China's peaceful rise," Obama said as the two men sat in the Oval Office. "We believe that a strong and prosperous China is one that can help to bring stability and prosperity to the region and to the world."
Obama said he looks forward to future cooperation.
A smiling Xi told Obama he wants to build on the past relationship between Obama and Hu and "deepen the friendship" between the people of the two countries.
"I hope to engage with a broad cross-section of American society during my current visit so as to deepen mutual understanding, expand consensus, strengthen cooperation and deepen the friendship between the Chinese and American people," Xi said, a reference to an itinerary that includes stops in Iowa and California.
Xi's visit is being closely watched because he will likely lead China over the coming decade. After becoming party leader, he is expected to replace Hu as president in 2013.
In the years ahead, the U.S. and China are likely to see their economic ties grow even as they are viewed increasingly as military rivals.
"We are not always going to see eye-to-eye. We are not always going to see things exactly the same, but we have very important economic and political concerns that warrant that we work together," Vice President Joe Biden said as the talks began at the White House.
Major American concerns are the vast trade imbalance between the world's two largest economies, and Chinese trade rule violations. The U.S. also reiterated problems with intellectual property theft and the value of China's currency.
