Hopes raised in US for new traction of ties

President Xi Jinping left Beijing for Washington on Wednesday as people from various circles in the United States expressed expectations that the visit would give strong impetus to building stable, sound and sustainable bilateral relations.

Many also looked to the presidents' engagement to turn the two leaders' shared commitment into practical progress that benefits both peoples and brings greater stability and certainty to the wider world.

Christopher Nixon Cox, a member of the Richard Nixon Foundation's board of directors and a grandson of former US president Richard Nixon, said the regular interactions between US President Donald Trump and President Xi have raised expectations about the prospects for bilateral ties.

The countries will continue to have differences but also will have areas of agreement to pursue, he said. "I think we really need to focus on how we can create a stable, prosperous world."

Craig Allen, former president of the US-China Business Council, said bilateral ties have been moving in the right direction, although progress has not been linear amid an increasingly complex international environment.

He said that he hopes further presidential engagement would build on the foundation laid at the China-US summit in Beijing in May, bringing lower trade barriers, greater investment flow and a more welcoming investment environment.

"Both China and the United States have grown wealthy through trade and openness to international investment," Allen said. "Neither side can afford to decouple."

Sony Perpignan, a Florida resident who was traveling in New York, said Chinese manufacturing has made a wide range of products more affordable for consumers around the world. The Chinese "tend to be at the cutting edge of technology on a lot of things, so we appreciate what China has to offer to the world", he said.

Regarding artificial intelligence, Craig Mundie, US co-chair of the China-US AI Track Two Dialogue, said cooperation is needed to protect against the technology's misuse.

The ability to control increasingly capable AI systems and defend against illicit uses has not yet matured, he said. The most pressing task for the two countries and their companies is to develop defensive capabilities against those risks. Making AI safe enough for everyone to benefit will require efforts involving China, the US and other countries, he added.

In terms of people-to-people and educational exchanges, the areas where closer China-US engagement could foster mutual understanding, Colette McWilliams, an educator at a private school in the San Francisco Bay Area, said Xi's visit could create more opportunities for dialogue.

"As somebody who believes in global education, I think the more we can collaborate, the more we can get people in the same room, having talks and talking to each other, the better we can be," she said.

McWilliams added that educational exchanges could also help younger generations better understand one another.

"Differences are what make our world magical and what we should be excited about — learning from our colleagues and our friends, not something to fear," she said. "I'm excited he's coming. I think it's a great step."

Some young Americans said that everyday encounters with Chinese products, businesses, culture and people have also shaped their perceptions of China.

An 18-year-old from Chicago named Salem said she has noticed a growing presence of Chinese stores and brands in Times Square in New York.

She added that people-to-people exchanges, travel and face-to-face conversations could help build stronger connections between ordinary Americans and Chinese.