Chinese President Xi Jinping is on his first state visit to the United States. The Chinese leader spent his first two days meeting with the leaders of America’s largest technology companies. They include Amazon, Apple and Microsoft. Mr. Xi said he wants to improve intellectual property rights, such as patents for inventions and industrial designs.
Property rights have been a tense issue between China and the U.S. China has been accused of copying American products without credit or fee to the American makers.
Mr. Xi also said he wants to make it easier for foreign companies to do business in China. “We are working to create a new open economic system, push forward reform of foreign investment management, and greatly reduce the restrictions on foreign investment,” he said.
Mr. Xi visited the headquarters of Microsoft Corporation and a nearby Boeing factory in Seattle. Chinese companies have agreed to buy 300 jets from the U.S. airplane maker. The aircraft reportedly cost about $38 billion. The deal also calls for Boeing to build a factory in China.
U.S. business leaders want Mr. Xi to promise that their companies will be treated fairly when they do business in China. They want China to reduce the theft of business secrets from American computer networks, too. Those cyberattacks have cost companies billions of dollars in recent years.
