Obama, Hu agree to tackle tough issues

17 Nov 2009, 8:28 pm   -   Source: AAP
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The United States and China have agreed to co-operate on a host of issues from climate change to North Korea.

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US President Barack Obama and China's Hu Jintao on Tuesday pledged to apply their joint political might to the world's toughest problems, but friction was evident on Tibet, economics and Iran.

In solemn talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the high point of Obama's debut visit to China, the leaders ploughed through an agenda packed with top world crises, reflecting China's rise as a key global player.

Hu vowed to work for "positive, cooperative and comprehensive" ties with Obama's administration, and the US leader, seeking to cement his early relationship with Beijing, adopted the same diplomatic formula word for word.

The pair voiced agreement on the need for action on climate change, prodding North Korea back to six-party nuclear talks and a common undertaking to help return the global economy to growth after the dark economic crisis.

But the leaders' nuanced statements pointed to differences between two competing powers deeply interlinked economically and repeatedly thrust together on diplomatic crises on which they have differing views.

After their talks, they appeared together to read formal statements to several hundred journalists, but spontaneity was stifled by the sterility of official diplomatic translations and the ban on questions by reporters.

While both leaders sought to stress areas of agreement, they did not shirk from subtly hinting at issues where gaps remained.

Hu told Obama for instance they needed to "oppose and reject protectionism in all its manifestations". Washington has angered Beijing by slapping tariffs recently on Chinese tyre exports and preliminary duties on some steel products.

Hu added the two sides would need continued "consultations on an equal footing to properly resolve economic and trade frictions".

Both sides said they opposed protectionism in a written joint statement.

Obama, tactfully voicing US worries that China's yuan currency is being kept artificially low to boost Chinese exports, said he welcomed "past statements" by Beijing to pursue a market-oriented exchange rate "over time".

That choice of language left open the possibility Hu had made no fresh offer of action which Obama said would make "an essential contribution" to rebalancing the global economy - code for weaning China off export-led growth.

On Iran, Obama warned that if Tehran did not "present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions" with its nuclear program, it would face "consequences".

But Hu was less adamant, saying only the issue needed to be solved through "dialogue and negotiations". There was no sign Beijing now shared the impatience of Russia, another key power, on Iran's foot-dragging.

Obama, who angered critics by declining to meet the Dalai Lama before travelling to Beijing, pointedly raised the issue of Tibet.

"We did note that while we recognise that Tibet is part of the People's Republic of China, the United States supports the early resumption of dialogue between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama," he said.

Both leaders said their nations, the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, were vital to hopes of a deal to slow global warming, despite clear signs that no global deal will emerge from next month's Copenhagen conference.

"Our aim there is ... not a partial accord or a political declaration, but rather an accord that covers all the issues in the negotiations and one that has immediate operational effect," the US leader said.

The sides announced a series of new initiatives on clean energy research and agreements on the cleaner user of coal, electric vehicles and shale gas.

Obama's talks with Hu came on the third leg of his four nation maiden tour of Asia as president, which concludes on Thursday in South Korea.

After the press conference, Obama braved the crisp November air for a hectic tour of the ancient Forbidden City, one of the few moments of tourism in a trip that also took him to Japan and a regional summit in Singapore.

Hu was later on Tuesday to lay on the lavish splendour of a full state dinner.

On Monday, the US president pushed for expanded political freedoms and spoke out against censorship in a town-hall meeting in Shanghai - comments that were widely ignored by the tightly-controlled Chinese state media.

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