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2011-01-21 04:28:49
Chinese President Hu Jintao has met leading US politicians in Washington and
heard their concerns over a number of issues between the two nations.
Mr Hu also acknowledged that "a lot still needs to be done" in China over human
rights.
Analysts say Mr Hu's visit is the most important by a Chinese leader in 30
years given China's growing military, economic and diplomatic clout.
Chinese people around the world share their views on the importance of the
state visit.
Hu Zeyuan, Hangzhou, China
Start Quote
I feel reassured when I see Chinese and US leaders holding friendly talks
End Quote
I feel reassured when I see Chinese and US leaders holding friendly talks,
because it shows both leaders are being responsible to their nations and to the
world as a whole.
In the past few months I have been worried about China-US relations, because of
the tension between the US and North Korea.
I think the world needs to see how much China has changed, and the role it has
played in easing tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
The Chinese people can see that China and the US have common interests and they
are willing to work at the relationship.
China is a big country with limited resources and an underdeveloped system of
government, it is understandable that we have some human rights problems.
President Hu's attitude shows the world that the Chinese people are willing to
face their own problems honestly and are willing to improve the situation.
I think the solution lies in development - generally the more developed the
economy is, the better human rights situation is.
As for the claims that China is deliberately manipulating its currency, I think
Western countries should send journalists to China to see how ordinary families
are living - they are not rich, they are living frugally and are saving money.
It's not fair to pressure China to increase the value of the yuan.
David Zhang, Beijing, China (currently in London, UK)
David Zhang David Zhang says the US needs to treat China with greater respect
I am working in London but am originally from Beijing.
When the White House is still pressurising China to do better job in all sorts
of areas, it is clear to me that not much progress could come from this formal
visit.
The most important thing for Americans to do is to stop being arrogant and talk
with their counterparts from China on a basis of mutual respect.
America's claims that China is manipulating its currency are hypocritical. At
the moment, the US is manipulating its own currency by pouring $600bn into the
market, which causes the dollar to depreciate heavily.
America is the world's dominant economic superpower - countries like China and
Japan are forced to lend to the US to prop up its economy.
If the US economy collapses it will have a knock-on effect on the global
economy.
In my opinion, the world economy would benefit from additional superpowers
emerging to compete with the US.
The US is also sending three fleets with aircraft carriers to the Yellow Sea,
at the front door of China.
China is the one being pushed to a corner, not the US, but clearly Americans
want the world to believe that China is causing all sorts of problems - from
international trading surplus and currency manipulation to military threat.
Huang, Chongqing, China
Start Quote
He is different to our previous leaders - more considerate and down-to-earth
End Quote
In China we define human rights differently to the West. Our system for human
rights has just started to take shape, so it is neither sophisticated or robust
yet, despite this, life is improving for ordinary people.
We are already enjoying better welfare and greater life expectancy.
Chongqing, where I come from, has witnessed unprecedented growth, so if you
stopped a local here and asked him or her whether they have human rights, I
think they would say yes.
I walk through the streets and I see that people are happy. They can go to
five-star hotels now and see Hollywood movies - ten years ago we didn't have
that right.
To us, human rights are about welfare and the right to not live in poverty. The
rights to criticise the authorities and organise protests are less important.
It is possible to speak out, even though we are a one party state. On our
social networking site Ren Ren, the most popular site for universities, people
do criticise human rights abuses.
I admit there are still difficulties to overcome, for example, bribes are
common in our society and sometimes you have to pay to be promoted at work.
We want to purge our society of corruption, but no country in the world is free
from corruption.
China is changing and I am very hopeful about the visit by President Hu Jintao
to the United States. He is different to our previous leaders - more
considerate and down to earth.
When there was an earthquake in Sichuan in 2008, he was at the site in hours
and that meant a lot to ordinary people.
Comments e-mailed to the BBC
As a Chinese college student, I have many things to say about this important
visit. We are patient, enthusiastic people and hold strong faith on our
country. But we just expect to see more of the truth. Surely we know that
operating the country has not been an easy task. However, giving more freedom
instead of restrictions will allow us to breathe fresh air and dedicate our
individual endeavours to the reform of our country. Human rights should be
defined as liberty, not simply as an improvement in living standards. Finally,
I believe no matter what regimes we live under, people around the world can
live together peacefully. Sarah Yang, Beijing, China
Tremendous economic and social progress has been made by China. In the last 32
years China reconnected to the free world. The next 30 years will be more
crucial and defining for China and her leaders. There will be more Liu Xiaobos
emerging as this is a natural progression of economic success. How China reacts
to the intellectual needs of an intelligent and educated mass will determine
her continued stability and economic progress. The free world will need to give
China more time and space. The question is not whether China will be fully
democratic, but rather how the free world will deal with a future free, rich
and democratic country with the world's largest population. R Lai, Hong Kong,
China