This article was published on China-US Focus at: https://www.chinausfocus.com/slider/xi-visit-underscores-rising-mutual-expectations/. The five-day official visit to the United States by China’s vice president and leader in waiting, Xi Jinping, accomplished several important objectives. In Washington D.C., Xi had his first ever meeting with President Obama, which provided an opportunity for the two leaders to begin to establish a rapport that will prove especially important in managing the increasingly complex US-China relationship if Obama is elected to a second term. He met with legislators and heard their concerns about Chinese trade policies, human rights record, and its ties to Syria and Iran. On Valentine’s Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton celebrated the expanding US-Chinese friendship by hosting an elegant and sumptuous lunch for the Chinese vice president on the eighth floor of the State Department. At the Pentagon, Xi was greeted with full military honors and exchanged views on the US-China military-to-military relationship and security matters with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. In a public address, Xi highlighted the mutual benefits of the massive US-China trade relationship and vowed greater cooperation to cope with international challenges. He introduced himself to US business leaders and listened to their recommendations for advancing the US-China economic relationship.