Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama is to hold their first meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of the G20 London summit, which has attracted active responses from international experts, officials and media.
Professor David M. Lampton, director of China Studies of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said in an interview with Xinhua that the meeting reflects the fact that relations between the two countries are increasingly grounded in shared interests of stabilization of globally-important issues.
"This upcoming meeting reflects the evolution of the foundation for U.S.-China relations," Lampton said.
The professor said that the necessity for productive U.S.-China relations is now grounded in the common necessity of stabilization: stabilization of the global economy; stabilization of the regional and global counter proliferation systems; and stabilization of the global climate.
"In some sense, stabilization is the most common interest that China and the United States share," Lampton said.
"The issues we all are confronting and the domestic pressures in both countries mean that the issues our presidents will address are difficult, whether it be domestic economic and social policy, future global regulatory policy, climate change and so forth," the professor said.
"In short, both administrations have laid a good foundation for the meeting, it is important, but the issues are difficult and we have to have realistic expectations for what can be accomplished in one meeting between our presidents or within the framework of the G20," he added.
Timothy Geithner, U.S. Secretary of Treasury said on Monday that both the United States and China share common interests in a stable international financial system and the policy adopted by China is providing a very stabilizing role in the system.
Responding to a question about the upcoming meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama in London on April 1, Geithner said "the (U.S.) president said it is very important for the United States that we have a very productive, close relationship on the economic and financial front with China."
He said the Obama administration is committed to such a relationship with China.
"We share a huge interest together in a stable, well-functioning and smooth international financial system. China is playing an enormously important role now. And its policy is providing a very stabilizing role in the system," he said.
"That's very important for the world economy as a whole. I think we'll see both presidents underscore commitment that the relations are going forward," the secretary said.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Monday China is expecting positive results from the Hu-Obama meeting, adding that the two leaders will cover a wide range of topics including bilateral ties, joint actions to fight the global financial crisis, and other issues of common concern.
U.S. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs also said Obama would hold crucial talks with Hu on April 1, which are likely to focus on the economic crisis and global security issues.
Some Indonesian analysts predicted the meeting to produce a positive impact on the world economy. China and the U.S. will play the biggest roles in reviving the global economy, that is why the world's eyes will be focused on the meeting, they said.
Nina Sapti, an economist from the University of Indonesia, said the Hu-Obama meeting will be the best opportunity for China to increase its profile before the world's eyes.
"You can imagine that. Right now China is the best economic performing country in the world with its sustainable growth," she said.
Sri Adiningsih, an economist from the University of Gajah Mada, said good cooperation will materialize as long as the two countries don't "attack" each other.
"The United States shouldn't impose protectionism and China must not stop buying American bonds," she said.
She added that the world depends on the two countries to improve the global financial system by regulating and supervising the trade of hedge fund, shares, and bonds.
Foreign reports also poured words on the upcoming Hu-Obama meeting. According to AFP, Ralph Cossa, head of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expected the meeting between Hu and Obama to be "cordial." It also cited U.S. officials as saying that "Obama will likely discuss the intertwined U.S. economic relationship with China during his first talks with Hu."
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