Obama, Xi charm each other: Pandas as diplomatic pawns

End of September, two significant official guests came to the USA on a state visit. One was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, and the other important official was Chinese President Xi Jinping. The latter's seven-day visit, however, was somewhat undermined by all the fanfares in welcoming the Pope in three major US cities including Washington DC. With the Pope, the Obama administration and millions of Americans were in a state of euphoria and the frenzy had lasted for six days.
Nevertheless, President Xi's visit was not altogether shabby from the strategic point nor was he given any less prominence by President Obama. Both the United States and China are considered super powers who are constantly seeking to maintain their dominance in global politics. The visit of the Chinese president, accompanied by his lovely and very stylist wife Madame Peng Liyuan, presented both the US and China an opportunity to review a range of regional, global and bilateral issues that are of great importance to both counties. Behind the scene it was all about smoothing out thorny issues and many other concerns in reaching a mutually beneficial goal. Perhaps the bilateral agreements will allow the two countries to continue as allies instead of strong adversaries.  
This visit allowed the two presidents to productively address major issues of disagreement between their two countries like cyber theft. While the media was very busy giving the Pope maximum coverage, President Obama and President Xi went ahead with their planned agenda which entailed an agreement to stop cyber theft for commercial purposes to the naming of the newborn panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC.
While the two presidents were busy fostering an understanding on many discourses, two First Ladies were not sitting by idly. Michelle Obama and Peng Liyuan walked to the panda habitat to name one of the surviving male panda cubs born to Mei Xiang and father Tim Tian (through artificial insemination). To put to rest speculations and name suggestions, the First Ladies along with two school children had revealed its name to be Bei Bei (precious treasure).
Bei Bei only weighs about 3 lbs and for now he will be cared for by the zoo officials and it will spend time bonding with its mother Mei Xiang, learning to chase, lunge and play-fight and manipulating bamboo until it is one year-old. Then it will be on display for the zoo lovers, mainly young children and their families who come to the zoo from across US and other countries.
Bei Bei's two other elder siblings are Bao Bao and Tai Shan. In 2010, 4-year-old Tain Sahn was taken back to China - as pandas are often on loan and considered Chinese property. Bei Bei also can be taken away from its parents if China is annoyed with the US, like China took possession of Tai Shan because US president disregarded China's warning not to meet Dalai Lama on a diplomatic visit.
China has been loaning panda bears to its trade partners for many years now. At the same time China uses these endangered species as a tool of diplomacy, and a bargaining chip with its trade counterparts, in getting what it wants. If China's friends keep it content, it usually extends the time for the pandas to remain in their host countries. Mei Xiang and Tim Tian's US stay expires at the end of 2015. No matter how much unhappy these animals are in captivity, their fate remains in the hands of the Chinese government.
Leaving aside the destiny of the National Zoo pandas, the American and Chinese business leaders had met together to discuss trade and business during Xi's visit.
On September 25, a lavish autumn-inspired state dinner was given by President Obama and Michelle Obama in honour of the Chinese President and the First Lady in the White House. The guest list included 200 high-profile business leaders, politicians and some celebrities with ties to China. Some notable guests were top guys from Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Disney. Labour Secretary Elaine Chao came with her father. Michelle Obama wore a black mermaid gown which was created by American-Chinese celebrity designer Vera Wang.
To diffuse the sharp differences between the US and China, the four-course meal in the dining room (bearing east-west theme) with floral display of pink and peach roses on the high-octane table was meant to symbolise 'a complete meeting of the minds.' Later, it was reported that 'all was largely glossed over in dinner toasts.' Obama said while some differences are unavoidable, he wished both governments 'worked together, like fingers on the same hand in friendship and in peace.' President Xi, on his part, said, 'his visit was an unforgettable journey,' and praised the goodwill he felt from East Coast to the West.
The White House culinary team, headed by guest chef Anita Lo, created a menu that highlighted 'American cuisine with nuances of Chinese flavour.' The dishes comprised Main lobsters, Colorado lamb, rice noodles, leeks, mushroom and broccoli which reportedly had satisfied everyone's palate. For dessert, one could choose buttered poppy seed layered bread accented with a delicate egg custard, lychee sorbet and tiny pastries.
After dinner the Grammy-winning R & B singer, composer and actor Ne-Yo performed for the guests.
Now, was all this wining and dining a ploy to impress the Chinese president into saying yes to everything Obama was hoping for? Or did the Chinese president see through it and behaved the same way his predecessors did during their state visits without giving out anything underneath their signature Confucius-like smiles?
During his New York City visit for the UN General Assembly meeting, Mr. Xi was scheduled to stay at the fabled Waldorf Astoria where US presidents often stay while in New York. (A Chinese company bought the hotel recently.) Mr. Obama and his team decided to stay at a different hotel.
There is widespread apprehension in the USA that the Chinese are hacking to retrieve US business and military secrets for updating their own programmes. In the recent past, a PLA (People's Liberation Army Unit 61398) team in China was traced as the source of hackers of US intellectual property secrets. There have been other instances of cyber theft accusations as well from the US side.
It was only logical that the Susan E. Rice, the US national security adviser, was sent to Beijing in preparation for Mr. Xi's visit to lay the groundwork for cyber security talks. The Chinese got the message, and sent Meng Jinazhu, the chief of domestic security, to Washington to smooth over the differences, at least on the surface.
The Chinese counter that they are the victims of cyber hacking crimes from the US, not the perpetrators. There may be truth to both nations' accusations, since very few parties (nation states, military, industry, business, and criminal elements) are innocent in this day and age when it comes to industrial and military espionage.
What may have been accomplished in this visit may be a few ground rules ('rules of the road') of cyber hacking, of what is not acceptable such as efforts to jeopardise public safety in either nation by unleashing a malicious malware (into public utility, such as water supply, electricity grid), for example. Clearly much remains to be done in this arena.
There were more positive accomplishments during Mr. Xi's visit on the business side. Microsoft's Bill Gates hosted the Chinese leader in Seattle before the latter's trip to Washington DC.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of the trip was Mr. Xi's photograph with the heads of top 10 US technology companies, gathered in Seattle to shake hands, talk business to ease restrictions on entry into the Chinese market, and prevent cyber hacking by the Chinese of the latter's intellectual property secrets. There was Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook is banned in China), Virginia Rometty (IBM), Tim D. Cook (Apple), and seven other leaders who wanted to make an impression on Xi. The meeting lasted only six minutes.     
Mr. Xi spoke at the United Nations on September 28 and surprised everyone by offering troops for UN peacekeeping efforts. Bangladesh and Pakistan play leading roles in this field. According to an article in the New York Times, Xi delivered a powerful speech at the UN, pledged $100 million to the Africa fund to tackle emergencies, and another $1 billion for peace and development efforts.
Overall, the visit was a successful one in spite of all the concerns about cyber espionage, Chinese buildup in the South China Sea, and a new national security law bolstering the Communist rule. The Panda diplomacy apparently helped, and President Xi left the US looking pleased. All the attention he got from the Obama administration and the business leaders didn't hurt. Perhaps Bei Bei now can look forward to having a few more happy years in living with its parents at the National Zoo in Washington DC.
Zeenat Khan, a US-based columnist, is a fiction writer.
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