Serdar Oguz
September 23, 2015•Update: September 23, 2015
By Barry Eitel
SAN FRANCISCO
Chinese President Xi Jinping began his first visit to the United States on Tuesday by meeting with members of the tech industry in Seattle, home to legendary companies including Microsoft and Amazon.
Xi, delegates from the Communist Party of China and more than a dozen chief executives from Chinese tech companies made an appearance at a tech summit Tuesday night, which was also attended by luminary American CEOs including Blackberry’s John S. Chen and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella.
The visit comes at an important moment for Chinese and American relations, especially regarding technology. Silicon Valley companies including Facebook, Apple, Google and IBM want access to the 700 million Internet users in China, but are stifled by governmental policies dictating strict censorship, and its support for hackers. And Chinese companies such as online retailer Alibaba and device makers Xiaomi, Huawei and Lenovo want to access American markets and talent. Among the factors why Xi is first visiting the tech world and pushing an official dinner with President Barack Obama to Friday.
Xi met with five state governors Tuesday afternoon including Rick Snyder of Michigan, Jay Inslee of Washington, Jerry Brown of California, Terry Branstad of Iowa and Kate Brown of Oregon. All parties signed an agreement promising to advance technologies that are environmentally sustainable.
At a banquet with an estimated 700 guests Tuesday night, Xi announced that China was ready to cooperate with the U.S. in fighting cyber-crime. The White House and cyber-security experts have accused the Chinese government of sponsoring hackers behind several high-profile cyber-attacks, including one on American health insurer Anthem in February.
“China will keep to the path of peaceful development,” Xi told the crowd.
Protesters also converged on Seattle and marched into the night, angry about Xi’s treatment of the Falun Gong religious minority and citizens of Tibet.
On Wednesday, Xi will tour Boeing’s manufacturing facilities, and meet with tech leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
