Chinese President Xi Jinping receives a football jersey bearing his name as he visits football players at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, September 23, 2015. [Photo/China Daily]

China and the United States, so far, have displayed remarkable understanding to steer their relationship through choppy waters created by solid differences ranging from ideology to handling vital national interests.

Despite such differences, their trade has continued to expand at a phenomenal rate to reach the current level of US$550 billion. There is a similar trend in people-to-people exchanges contact and, today, more Chinese go to America and vice versa than any time in history.

The cultural and economic ties should have been reflected in the lowering of tensions and improvement in the divergent narratives of each other's intentions. Yet, so far, this has not happened.

Strategic considerations control many spheres of life and experts in the United States openly question the merit of allowing China to rival the power of their country by increasing its economic clout worldwide. Faced with the second biggest economic power that is still growing faster than any of the leading economies of the 20th Century, there are calls for reviewing the entire range of ties with China.

The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping comes at a critical juncture when rival candidates in a fevered U.S. presidential race are trying to look tough on issues of human rights and economic problems in order to garner enough support to be their party's candidate in November next year.

With President Barack Obama's enigmatic second term heading towards closure, he has failed to deliver much of what was promised when running for the first time in 2008, and the question must be raised whether at this late stage he can do something different to create an element of trust with China.

It is rather hard to expect much from him as, already, he faces a barrage of criticism over his alleged softness on the issue of the Iran nuclear deal. Showing leniency towards President Xi could well dent the prospects of his party's presidential hopeful, if nothing else.