China's vice president 'comes home' to Iowa

By Gregg Hennigan and Mike Wiser

DES MOINES – Iowa was in the international spotlight Wednesday as the presumed future leader of China rekindled old friendships and, Iowa officials hope, made new ones too.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping was the guest of honor at a state dinner in the rotunda of the Capitol attended by about 650 people, including 160 from the Chinese delegation.

Iowa government and business leaders want to improve upon the existing relationship between Iowa and China and boost trade between the two.

“We hope this dinner tonight, and your entire visit to Iowa, will foster an even deeper friendship between Iowa and China, one that will continue to grow and benefit both of our peoples,” Gov. Terry Branstad said in his toast.

Xi, who is expected to be the next president of China and leader of the country's Communist Party, flew from Washington, D.C., where he met with President Barack Obama and other officials the past two days, to Muscatine earlier in the day.

In the warmth of Roger and Sarah Lande's living room, Jinping sat on a sofa between the couple, surrounded by the “old friends” he never forgot from his 1985 trip here as an official in China's Hebei Province.

“Friendship is a big business,” Sarah Lande said. “A world of friendship is a world of peace.”

Through an interpreter, Xi said reuniting with the Landes and other Muscatine residents was like coming home.

“You were the first group of Americans I came into contact with,” he said. “To me, you are America.”

For Wednesday's 54-minute meeting, the “old friends,” as everyone involved referred to themselves, were joined by Gov. Terry Branstad, Mayor DeWayne Hopkins and other dignitaries, including a Chinese delegation of at least 30 people and more than a dozen journalists from both countries.

“It's my second visit to Muscatine after a hiatus of 27 years from my last visit, and all the memories of my being here are now coming back,” Xi said as he stood by the fireplace.

“We came just a few years after the normalization of relations between China and the U.S. and just two years after Hebei Province and Iowa became sister states. It was also my first visit to the U.S. So at that time, everything was very new and fresh.”

Xi was even able to recall the bottle of Chinese liquor he gave to Thomas and Eleanor Dvorchak, the retired couple from Florida in whose Muscatine home he stayed in 1985.

“I remember you were born in New York,” Xi said to Eleanor Dvorchak, 72.

In her greeting, she told Xi: “You were my first introduction to the Chinese people ... So many times you hear so much bad in the news. And after having met you, it was all washed away.”

Later at the state dinner in Des Moines, Xi said on his previous visit, he was thrilled to be able to explore the Mississippi River after reading Mark Twain novels as a boy. He also spoke of the “unequaled beauty of Muscatine at sunset.”

Xi said he was in America now to help build a China-U.S. partnership based on mutual cooperation and respect. He said partnerships below the federal level of government also were important.

“And Iowa stands at the forefront of subnational cooperation between China and the United States,” Xi said.

This trip is being compared with one made to Iowa by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1959. Like Khrushchev, Xi represents a Communist country, albeit one that is more open socially and economically.

Still, China is the target of criticism worldwide on issues related to human rights abuses, foreign policy in areas like Iran and Syria and trade practices.

Branstad has said he'd keep his conversations with Xi focused on relationship-building and trade, leaving the other issues for federal officials.

Iowa exports to China were $599 million in 2010, a 1,231 percent increase from 2000.

Tangible results from the visit from the Chinese should be seen immediately, said Debi Durham, executive director of the Iowa Partnership for Economic Progress.

“This is the beginning of a renewal of a friendship, and all good business begins at the friendship level,” she said.

Branstad, who gave his toast first, said Iowa is proud of its “mutually beneficial trading partnerships with China” and the role Iowa farmers play in providing agricultural products to the people of China.

“We hope to build upon these partnerships in related areas where Iowa leads the world, such as biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, food processing and financial services,” he said.

Xi, in his remarks, said, “I hope Iowa will take an active part in economic, trade and investment cooperation between China and the United States.”

The state dinner was part of the relationship-building effort, with Xi and Branstad meeting privately in the governor's office before eating.

The dinner was an elaborate affair that showcased Iowa cuisine. The main course included bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, Angus beef tenderloin and twice-baked potatoes.

The dinner cost an estimated $100,000 and was to be covered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority through private donations.

Black tablecloths covered circular tables set up for a dozen diners each. Most has a crystal globe centerpiece, although those closest to the podium had a floral arrangement.

Branstad and Xi spoke from a raised podium with the flags of the United States, the People's Republic of China and Iowa as a backdrop. Each man wore a black suit with a red tie.

As the speeches began some people who were seated along far wings of the Capitol left their seats and moved to the center rotunda so they could see the speakers, despite a live feed being sent to television screens that lined the halls.

Several attendees also stood in the back of the rotunda and took photos or video with smartphones and small cameras.

Media access to the event was limited to the toasts by Branstad and Xi. Their remarks lasted about 25 minutes, with each speaker's words translated into the other's language.

The Chinese delegation was to stay in a downtown Des Moines hotel Wednesday night. On Thursday, they'll participate in a U.S.-China Agricultural Symposium hosted by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor.

The Chinese also are to visit a farm in Maxwell, about 30 miles north of Des Moines, before leaving for Los Angeles to conclude their U.S. trip.

Chris Steinbach of the Muscatine Journal contributed to this report.