US pomp meant to improve tone of China relations

Chinese leader Hu Jintao is being feted in Washington this week with a lavish state banquet at the White House and other pomp usually reserved for close friends and allies - all intended to improve the tone of relations between a risen, more assertive and prosperous China and the US superpower in a tenuous economic recovery.

The shaky trust between the United States and China has been eroding recently because of an array of issues - currency policies and trade barriers, nuclear proliferation and North Korea, and both sides seem to recognize the need to recalibrate relations. (AP)