Xi Jinping, future Chinese president, faces test on first White House visit (+video)

The stormier climate will test Xi, who will want to show his domestic audience that he can hold his own with the Americans even as he charms them. Xi, who will also visit Iowa and Los Angeles, is purported to be a fan of American culture.

Xi, who technically is being hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, is also expected to announce some sizable agricultural purchases while in the Midwest, in an effort to dent criticisms of China’s trade surplus with the US.

In addition to US-China issues, Xi and US leaders are expected to address international concerns, including North Korea, Iran, and Syria.

On North Korea, the US made something of a “welcome to Washington” gesture by announcing Monday that a US delegation will travel to Beijing to meet with North Korean officials Feb. 23. Given that China is most interested in promoting stability on the Korean Peninsula, it favors US engagement with Pyongyang.

The US, on the other hand, is worried that North Korea, under new leader Kim Jung-un, could decide in the coming months to carry out either another nuclear test or a missile test – actions that would serve to bolster the new leader’s credentials, but that could also set off a new regional crisis.

Coloring all these issue is the Obama administration's new policy of “pivoting” toward Asia. The policy includes new US military bases in the region and revitalized relations with Southeast Asian countries. But Green says the administration has since toned down its rhetoric, which set off alarms in Beijing.

“Since our friends in Beijing found 'pivot' too aggressive and threatening, I’ve heard the administration is going to change it to ‘pirouette,’ ” he says. “We’re going to pirouette to Asia.”

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