By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - Chinese President Xi Jinping couldn't hide his smile as he was warmly welcomed in Seattle on Tuesday to kick off his one-week US visit, which will include a state dinner at the White House hosted by President Barack Obama on Friday. Initially, there were a number of prospects of poor treatment towards Xi Jinping in spite of being one of G2 leaders. But things were totally different than expected, leaving Xi so impressed. Besides, although it has been cancelled, Xi has reportedly been invited to attend dinner at Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates' home, wiping out all the initial prospects of mistreatment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, and first lady, Peng Liyuan, wave upon arrival on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Paine Field in Seattle. Contrary to expectations, Xi is receiving a warm welcome./ Source from Xinhua News Agency.

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According to diplomatic sources in Beijing on Wednesday, Xi's US visit was expected to be overshadowed by Pope Francis whose Washington visit was almost simultaneous. However, what actually happened was different from what was expected. Although, U.S. President Obama went to greet Pope Frances upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Xi was warmly welcomed by numerous VIPs at Paine Field Airport in Seattle, including Washington state governor Jay Inslee, Former Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.

Moreover, top U.S. CEOs including Apples Tim Cook, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Starbucks' Howard Schultz, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, and Boeing's Dennis Muilenberg took park in a U.S.-China business roundtable on Wednesday, showing America's will to treat Xi Jinping well. The initial prospects of mistreatment towards Xi Jinping seems far from correct considering the media attention the Chinese leader is getting and the top security services he is provided with.

Thus, it's not a weird thing that Xi Jinping is receiving a warm welcome. Most of all, the perception of the United States that mistreating China's top leader is like jabbing its own eyes, played a big part. Besides, it's hard to ignore the fact that Xi Jinping arrived with huge stack of money for economic cooperation with the U.S.. People's University professor Fang Changping pointed out, "The United States should admit the reality that China has emerged as a superpower that can replace Russia. It seems such recognition has led to provide upgraded level of hospitality towards Xi Jinping," claiming that the hospitable reception of the U.S. towards Xi Jinping is something obvious.