On Friday, Obama called for common “rules of the road” on cybersecurity.
“It’s critical, as two of the largest economies and military powers of the world, that China and the United States arrive at a firm understanding.”
Xi said he wanted “good-faith cooperation” on the issue, but stood his ground, saying China was also “a victim of cyberattacks.”
In a more tangible outcome from the talks at the Sunnylands retreat once patronized by Frank Sinatra and Richard Nixon, the White House said Obama and Xi agreed a joint effort to combat climate change, specifically the production of “super greenhouse gases” or HFCs.
The gases are used in air conditioners and refrigerators and China — by far the largest producer of HFCs — had until recently resisted efforts by the United States and other nations to scale back emissions of the gases.
But it agreed in April to end HFC production by 2030 as part of a $385 million assistance package by wealthy countries under the Montreal Protocol, which was set up to fight the depletion of the ozone layer.
Xi is expected to lead China during a decade in which it will overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy.
A long-running spat over what Washington sees as China’s artificially supported currency has cooled, but trade spats still often sour the mood between the two nations, which are now economically interdependent.
China’s official Xinhua news agency said Xi asked Obama to loosen restrictions on US hi-tech exports to China and to offer “equal treatment” to Chinese businesses investing in the United States.
Hovering over the summit was a vexing question for both sides — whether China’s rise means an inevitable clash with the United States, which Obama sees as a Pacific power.
US officials confided after the talks that they were gratified that Xi swiftly agreed to a less formal summit than the dreary encounters, which largely stuck to talking points, Obama had with ex-president Hu Jintao.
Xi invited Obama to pay a return informal visit to China. Donilon said the two sides would work together to set a date, and also to work out a schedule for an exchange of state visits.
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