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HONG KONG – For 30 minutes on Monday, the Chinese President Xi Jinping offered a litany of conciliatory promises to political and business leaders from 172 countries gathered in Shanghai: he would turn his country of 1.3 billion into global consumers, down on Chinese companies abusing intellectual property rights.
Then, he seemsingly turned to an audience of one – his counterpart in the Oval Office – and his tone hardened.
"Great winds and storms can upset a pond, but not an ocean," said Xi, comparing China to a vast and immovable sea. After 5,000 years of trials and tribulations, China is still here. Looking ahead, China will be here to stay. "
In an address in Shanghai on Monday, the president of the President of the United States, President of the United States the mood to make significant concessions.
For more than half an hour, Xi hit placating notes, and then steely ones. He made promises to cut tariffs, open up sectors like healthcare and education to foreign investment, and import $ 45 trillion in goods and services over the next 15 years. And then he let loose veiled jabs at President Trump's leadership style.
"As globalization deepens, the practices of law of the jungle and winner-take-all are a dead end," he said.
China International Import Expo, a week-long showcase meant to rebrand China has a consumption powerhouse at a time when its record-high trade surplus with the US is just one of many sticking points for the trump administration, which has asked for that to make the budget standoff.
Without mentioning the United States by the name of China, the Chinese middle class and "share the benefits of globalization."
"China is a big market of over 1.3 billion people," said Xi said. "China increasing imports will not be a choice of political expediency, but a future-oriented step taken to embrace the world."
But beyond the promises of boosting Chinese consumption, which has been a long-standing priority for Beijing, Xi stopped short of tackling the politically thorny complaints by major trading partners.
[Trump and China’s Xi to meet in bid to end trade war tensions]
For instance, the United States, Europe and Japan have taken issue with aspects of China's industrial policy, such as high-tech and Internet companies, in its bid for self-reliance. And many foreign governments have professed frustration with the alleged theft of trade secrets, with the U.S. Department of Justice said last week it would launch a new initiative to name and shame Chinese spies.
Xi did not know that China should strengthen intellectual property and ratchet up punishments for violators. But he is now following up with a stiff rebuke of China's critics.
Those who complain about Chinese commercial practices "should not just point fingers at others over their own problems," he said. "They should not have a flashlight that only expose others while doing nothing themselves."
Jim McGregor, chairman of the APCO's Greater China practice, said the foreign business has "heard these things" for years from Chinese leaders.
"President Xi said, intellectual property protection, and China's willingness to be open to the world," McGregor said. "But all of this is going to take place right now."
With the United States is not present, Xi has had a list of trade relations that China has advanced: the European Union, South Korea, Japan and African countries. China, he added, was fully committed to multinational organizations like the Group of 20 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Group.
At times, Xi appeared to address his domestic audience. With China this winter approaching the 40-year anniversary of the "Reform and Opening Up" movement launched by Deng Xiaoping, some intellectuals and political elite bigger role in the private sector.
China to success, Xi said, adding that it was confident China's growth would continue steadily despite its slowest growth in a decade.
While acknowledging factors "at home and abroad" that have challenged the Chinese economy, Xi said that "the Chinese people will overcome all challenges of our way."
More than 3,600 companies including representatives from U.S.Giants like General Electric and Ford attended the conference, according to Chinese state media.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. The U.S. government said it had no plans for "high-level participation" in the Shanghai expo.
"We encourage China to level the playing field for U.S. goods and services," the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said in a statement. "China needs to make the necessary reforms to harness the world economy."
Still, China rolled out the red carpet for allies old and new.
After Xi spoke Monday morning, he yielded the stage to President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic, which this summer cut with Taiwan and established relations with Beijing – a move that infuriated the U.S. State Department.
Hours later, Imran Khan, the first elected prime minister of Pakistan – China's closest ally – market onstage and launched more veiled barbs at Washington.
"While it is aggressively pursued by some and protectionism is on the rise," said Khan, "Pakistan takes great comfort in President Xi's courageous statement that their doors will never shut."
Read more:
China's Xi promotes self-reliance as next economic era
White House downplays China on trade, sinking markets
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