Chinese president Hu Jintao arrived in Everett this morning — about 20 minutes earlier than scheduled after his flight direct from China to Paine Field.
He was greeted by about two dozen VIPs — including Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Alan Mulally and Boeing’s top China salesman, Larry Dickenson. Mulally repeated what Dickenson told me earlier, that Boeing wasn’t planning on any deal-making during this visit. However, given the emphasis Chinese place on relationships, a getting-to-know-you event like this is important to developing future sales.
After coming down the red-carpeted jet stairs from his Air China 747, Hu came over to greet more than 200 flag-waving Chinese-Americans, who chanted “huan ying, huan ying” (“welcome”), and then he came over to say a few words to us press types.
I couldn’t hear what Hu said — the engines on his jet were idling and I was distracted by the boom mics of the Chinese TV crews that were bobbing perilously close to Hu’s head. And besides — “huan ying” is just about the sum total of all the Mandarin I know (and I just learned that last night).
But Hu’s entourage handed out a translated copy of his arrival statement saying that China and the United States are “great nations” that “share broad common intersts, have a solid foundation for cooperation and shoulder joint responsibility for promoting world peace and development.”
Hu said he’s looking forward to meeting with President Bush later this week. “I am confident that this visit will boost the growth of constructive and cooperative relationship between China and the United States.”
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