The year 2011 witnessed President Hu Jintao's trip to the United States, visits to China from U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, and gatherings of international leaders such as the G20 summit and the BRICS summit. The year also saw rising tensions over the South China Sea and China actively responding to famine in African countries and evacuating its citizens from Libya as conflicts broke out.

 

  President Hu Jintao's visit to the United State 

 

Chinese President Hu Jintao shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama during a bilateral meeting at the White House in Washington, the United States, Jan. 19, 2011. [Lan HongguangXinhua]

President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to the United States from Jan. 18 to 21, 2011. U.S. President Barack Obama hosted a state dinner at the White House in Hu's honor. They later held formal talks and mapped out future courses for the two countries to enhance bilateral ties and cooperation over the next 30 years. The two sides declared in a joint communiqué their commitment to building a cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. Garnering worldwide media attention, Hu's visit was described as "strategic," "landmark" and "historic." Mainstream media both at home and abroad believed that the development of Sino-U.S. ties benefited both countries and the rest of the world. 

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• President Hu's visit to the United States