Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama at a press conference following their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 12, 2014. [Xinhua/Liu Weibing]

Chinese President Xi Jinping set off on Tuesday for his state visit to the United States, to embark on another trans-Pacific historic meeting. Prior to the trip, Xi's schedule was very busy, attending several meetings in one week. He presided over the 16th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, met with U.S. delegates attending the Seventh China-U.S. Business Leaders' and Former Senior Officials' Dialogue, and also met with News Corp. executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch.

At such an important moment, every detail of Xi's words and actions are interpreted as "weather vanes," or "windows" through which the outside world can perceive China. As anticipated, Xi released four important messages.

No. 1 China will be more open to the outside world

Xi presided over the 16th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reform. The major themes included " furthering the opening-up policy," which has been in place for more than 30 years.

President Xi took this opportunity to show that China will continuously and resolutely implement more active opening-up policies, seek international capital and technologies, and perfect the mechanism for opening-up.

This round of the Comprehensively Deepening Reform meeting made it clear that using foreign capital will be China's long-term and "unchanging" policy, China will continuously safeguard the lawful interest of foreign businesses operating in China, and seek to provide better services to such businesses.

China's increasing openness is not only evident in foreign investment, but also in its attitude to foreign media. Xi told Murdoch during his visit on Sept. 18 that China welcomes the international media to come and introduce China's development to the world, helping the world seize the opportunities in China while enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation between Chinese people and the world.

Xi's message was clear: China's opening-up policy works in all-around ways.

"Expanding China's opening-up" is not only an attitude to the world, but also a necessity for China's own development. In China, reform and opening-up are interwoven and complementary to each other. Xi's recent remarks show that China will not halt its opening up policy or reform.

No. 2 China's economy is capable of retaining a medium-high growth rate in the long run

Some Western media critics began to badmouth China this year, when Chinese economic growth slowed down. However, Xi offered his insights to this phenomenon as he told the U.S. business leaders and former senior officials on Sept. 17 that China's economy still has a huge potential, apart from room for adjustment and internal flexibility. Thus, all conditions are in place to keep China's growth at a medium-high rate.

In fact, Xi already made similar remarks earlier this year at the Boao Forum for Asia that China's economic growth has entered a "new normal." He said that in reviewing the Chinese economy, one should not only pay attention to the growth rate, but also the size of economy itself, since the current seven-percent growth rate will mean a larger increment than double-digit growth in the past.

Being confident in China's future growth, Xi has laid out a clear blueprint. China will continue to deepen reform, actively change the model of economic development, let markets play a decisive role in resource allocation, have the government play a better role, continuously increase the quality and benefit of the economy, and enhance the growing momentum for economic development.

No. 3 New type of China-U.S. relations benefit both countries and beyond

Before Xi set off for the United States, he has reiterated one term. The China-U.S. relationship represents a new model of relations between major countries. Xi told the visiting U.S. business leaders and former senior officials on Sept 17 that China and the United States hold many common and important interests as well as differences. Conflicts are inevitable but the key to cooperation lies in how both parties plan to solve them.

"As long as both sides take the matter from the benefit of the greater good, respect and take care of each other's core interests, prevent strategic misunderstanding and miscalculation, and stick to constructive approaches in dealing with problems, the differences will be controllable while these common interests will be maintained," said Xi.

During his meeting with Murdoch, Xi said that China and United States should shape a new-type of relations between major countries featuring a peaceful, uncontentious, mutual respect, cooperation and a win-win mentality as these are consistent with the fundamental interests of people from both countries.

China's initiative is to build a new model of relations between major countries as both China and the United States will not only benefit two peoples, but also contribute to world peace and development.

Just as Xi said, "as long as China and the United States cooperate well, the bilateral relations will serve as the ballast for world stability and the facilitator for world peace."

No. 4 China always respects and protects human rights, but in a way that suits China's own conditions

The 2015 Beijing Forum on Human Rights opened in Beijing on Sept. 16. In his congratulatory message, Xi showed China's attitude to human rights, which can be summarized as follows.

First, China always respects and protects human rights. Xi said that China has been respecting human rights' universality while considering China's actual conditions, so as to keep China's society moving forward, improve the people's livelihood, allow for social justice to prevail, and promote other economic and social advancement.

Second, China's human rights development must fit China's national conditions. For a prolonged period of time, some countries have been maleficently and stereotypically judging China's human rights conditions, with criticism being their intention while neglecting China's effort and progress in safeguarding human rights. They have also tried to impose their own human rights standards on other countries including China.

Xi's attitude was also clear, saying, "there is no 'best way' to protect human rights, only a better way." His words meant that in reviewing a country's human rights issues, one should not ignore the country's cultural and historical background, social institutions and stage of development.

"Chinese people are striving for the Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and this will protect China's human rights, and promote the all-around development of human beings to a higher level."