From The Nation (link):
The White House has downgraded Chinese President Hu Jintao’s upcoming “state visit” to Washington to a simple “official visit,” according to spokesman Scott McClellan. Hu will have lunch with President Bush rather than a formal dinner, the distinguishing feature of a state visit. Chinese officials, however, continue to insist the trip is a “state visit.” The dispute indicates the White House’s low expectations for the event and is the latest in a series of public spats between the two countries.
The American side felt slighted when China announced the purchase of 150 Airbus planes from European competitors only a couple of weeks after placing an order for seventy Boeing jets during Bush’s last visit to Beijing. The Administration is also unhappy with China’s reaction to the State Department’s 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; the official Chinese statement declares that a government responsible for the Abu Ghraib prison abuses has no business disparaging others.
For its part, China is fuming over the Administration’s continued efforts at “containment,” the latest of which are far-reaching economic and military agreements with India aimed at countering Chinese influence in the region. Ironically, this is pushing some governments interested in trade with China to the other side.
