Hu and Obama: The Highlights

President Obama and President Hu Jintao had their first face-to-face meeting in London at the G20 Summit.  While we don't have all of the details of what was discussed, here are some of the highlights from the White House: 

Hu and Obama "agreed to work together to build a positive, cooperative, and comprehensive U.S.-China relationship."  What does this mean?

They're launching a "U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue," and dialogues are set to begin this summer.  Areas where they seek "to further deepen mutually beneficial cooperation" include "the economy and trade, counterterrorism, law enforcement, science and technology, education, culture, and health."

Military commitments, increased cooperation on other international issues, and a commitment to the "China-US Ten Year Energy and Cooperation Framework" were also agreed upon.

The economy comprised a significant portion of the discussion, and both pledged to strengthen their respective economies while also working together to improve the global economy.  Hu was pleased by the U.S. commitment to reform financial regulations, and Obama appreciated China's commitment towards financial development and reforms.  At the same time, they both believe more reforms are needed. 

Is any of this rosy dialogue surprising?  No.  If anything, it would be unusual if the two of them engaged in more heated debates.  Of course, since we don't have the full transcript of this meeting, we will never really know all of these meeting details.

It will be interesting to see how the U.S. and Chinese relationship evolves, but President Obama has already accepted President Hu's invitation to visit China during the second half of the year, so it's off to a good start.