Experts hail Xi's local connections

NEW YORK - By visiting a farm and a basketball arena, Vice-President Xi Jinping is getting to know the United States beyond top-level meetings in Washington, something experts say will help China and the US weather political storms.

Derek Scissors, a research fellow at the Asian Studies Center of the Heritage Foundation, said on Wednesday that he is delighted that Xi stopped in Iowa and California.

Scissors said he believes the China-US relationship has serious problems that will harm communication between Washington and Beijing. But by moving beyond the two capitals, much can still be accomplished.