First Lady in red welcomes China to the White House

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12 April 2012

China was celebrating a "historic" breakthrough in its world standing today after its leader was fêted by Barack and Michelle Obama at a glittering White House banquet.

With his wife by his side in a red and black Alexander McQueen dress, Mr Obama greeted president Hu Jintao on the steps of the White House before moving inside to enjoy an "all-American" menu including Maine lobster and apple pie.

They were joined at last night's event by former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and celebrities including Barbra Streisand, US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and fashion designer Vera Wang.

Also on the 225-strong guest list were, Goldman Sachs boss Lloyd Blankfein, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and one of her predecessors, Henry Kissinger, actor Jackie Chan, and American ice skating star Michelle Kwan.

But so too was Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, in a pointed message to the Chinese leader - who has admitted in a press conference that "a lot still needs to be done" in his country on human rights. Musicians including Herbie Hancock played jazz during the evening, which culminated in Mr Obama toasting his Chinese counterpart and calling for the two nation's peoples to come closer. He said: "May they grow together in friendship. May they prosper together in peace."

Today the attention lavished on their president by Mr Obama was acclaimed in China as a symbol of its rise. The official Xinhua News Agency called the visit a "historic masterstroke of China-US diplomacy with global significance." Mr Hu will now meet members of Congress to discuss China's contentious economic policies. The country is accused of suppressing the value of its currency, the yuan, to keep its exports artificially cheap. Politicians have threatened legislation to punish Chinese goods with duties. More than 80 have written to Mr Obama urging him to tell Mr Hu "America's patience is near an end".

The two leaders are in talks over business deals, agreements to increase contact between their nations' armies, and action to tackle the nuclear threats posed by North Korea and Iran.

While the visit continued, much of the talk in Washington was speculation about the author of an anonymous book on Mr Obama. Entiled "O, A Presidential Novel", it apparently depicts a contender ahead of the 2012 elections. "O" is a tetchy but likeable smoker who on one occasion - based on a photo of Mr Obama - ogles a woman's bottom in public.

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