She said as a think tank scholar, she appreciated Xi's comment regarding foreign non-profit institutions that, in Xi's words, play a "positive role" in China and in US-China relations.

"I hope that, as Chinese leaders consider new options for regulating foreign non-profit activities in China, they will apply the principle of administrative efficiency and not overburden scholarly exchange with too much red tape," she said.

Author Robert Lawrence Kuhn, who has written popular books on Chinese leaders, said Xi's major policy speech in Seattle was masterful on multiple levels.

Noting that the summit in Washington, DC, was the hard part, Kuhn said, however, that he was optimistic - because both China and the US have everything to gain from cooperation and much to lose from confrontation.

"Of highest import is economic stability and growth," he said. "Prosperity will be enjoyed by both China and the US - or be enjoyed by neither. With our economies so tightly intertwined, it is simply impossible for one country to succeed and the other not."

Carola McGiffert, president and CEO of the 100,000 Strong Foundation, said President Xi's offer of 50,000 scholarships for Americans to study in China underscores the importance that Beijing places on the US-China relationship, and shows that President Xi is personally invested in its future.

These scholarships come on top of 30,000 scholarships that the Chinese government has already distributed to American students under the 100,000 Strong Initiative.

"The Chinese scholarships will only continue to reinforce efforts to strengthen ties between our two countries," she said.

"As a nation, we must do a better job training our next generation of leaders so they can manage this relationship effectively," she said.

Nathaniel Ahrens, director of China affairs at the University of Maryland, and director of the Maryland-China Initiative, said President Xi's approach of addressing the irritants head-on was the right one, and anyone who expected him to present meaningful solutions to these issues in a policy speech had unrealistic expectations.

"The positive takeaway is that all these irritants will likely be discussed behind closed doors, both with business representatives and government officials," he said.

Contact the writers at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com, charlenecai@chinadailyusa.com, or amyhe@chinadailyusa.com.