Xi-Obama one-on-one is all about substance

What do Sunnylands, Yingtai and Blair House have in common? They are venues that have hosted private dinners between President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama in the last three years. While some critics have described these shirtsleeve summits as "pomp-heavy", the truth is, they provide an intimate environment for unscripted talks between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.

In June 2013, Xi, then newly elected president, stopped on his way home from a tour of Latin America in California, where he and Obama met for more than eight hours, including an hour of one-on-one walk. They agreed to build "a new model of major-power relationship" that would steer clear of the "Thucydides' trap" - conflict between a rising and an established power.

In November 2014, after the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, Obama stayed on in China for a state visit. He was invited into the Zhongnanhai leadership compound by Xi, where they had five hours of productive discussions, including an hour of late-night tete-a-tete, at Yingtai, a picturesque island. By then, the two countries had reaped some "early harvests" from the new model of China-US relationship. Building on their Sunnylands discussions, Xi talked about how China's experience informs present-day decision-making and Obama explained American values through the lens of history.