Xi Jinping is a fan of mojitos and House of Cards! That was the main takeaway from the Chinese president’s speech in Seattle kicking off his first state visit to the US. Explaining that it’s "always important to make an effort to understand a culture," Xi revealed it was his fondness for The Old Man and the Sea which led him to order the Cuban classic at Hemingway’s favorite Havana bar. (He also announced a plan to have 50,000 students participate in exchange programs over the next three years – we’re sure they will eagerly heed his advice about cultural immersion via booze.)
The cocktail anecdote was just one of a sting of cultural references Xi Dada dropped into a wide-ranging speech that covered cyber-security (something China definitely does not engage in), foreign policy (China will never engage in expansion), the stock market (it’s stabilized and on the road to recovery) and the yuan’s depreciation (no basis for further drop). In other words, everything’s fine!
As for his anti-corruption crackdown, Xi denied it was a way to evict rivals from the party. "This has nothing to do with power struggle. In this case, there is no House of Cards,” he said, referring to the D.C.-set drama that’s reportedly found rapid fans in the CCP leadership. (Indeed, Frank Underwood could only dream of being saluted by 10,000 troops.)
But it’s not just hard-nosed political types Xi hopes to impress on his five-day American tour – he also played to the home crowd and reached out to all you soft-hearted rom com fans out there, telling the audience that Sleepless in Seattle made the Pacific Northwest city a household name in China.
Xi’s Seattle itinerary will include a visit to the Boeing factory and a business roundtable with top Chinese and American CEOs before he heads to Washington D.C. for a state dinner at the White House and to New York to address the UN.
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