Obama welcomes rise of prosperous China

US President Barack Obama said Monday his country welcomes a rising China as he began a three-day visit in Beijing, in a move analysts see as an effort to ease the tension between the world's two largest economies.

Speaking at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, Obama said the US welcomes the rise of a "prosperous, peaceful, stable China," and that the Sino-US relationship is not a "zero-sum game."

"We compete for business, but we also seek to cooperate on a broad range of shared challenges and shared opportunities in fighting the spread of Ebola, stopping nuclear proliferation, deepening clean energy cooperation, and combating climate change," said Obama.

Obama also announced the two nations have agreed to implement a new visa arrangement extending the validity of student visas from one year to five, and business and multiple-entry short-term tourist visas from one year to 10.

The speech comes as the US president begins a state visit to China, the first since his re-election in 2012. Obama will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday before he concludes his visit.

Observers have noted that the summit could alleviate the tension that has built up in the relationship over the past few years following the US's announcement of a "pivot" to Asia, a strategy widely seen as an effort to contain China's rise.

Analysts have agreed that although the meeting may help ease the frequently-strained Sino-US relationship and may produce progress on issues like climate change and combating the rise of the Islamic State, the Xi-Obama talks are unlikely to make headway on issues such as human rights, cyberspying or the South China Sea.

During Monday's speech, Obama said the US would not stop speaking out about human rights in China or developments in Hong Kong because of US interests there. "Our primary message has been to make sure that violence is avoided," Obama was quoted as saying by Reuters, referring to the Occupy protests in Hong Kong.

"The summit will only help manage differences between the two countries, with the US continuing to seek expanded cooperation based on its own interest," Shen Dingli, Vice Dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Fudan University, told the Global Times.

Shi Yinhong, director of the Center for American Studies at the Renmin University of China, expressed doubts over Obama's influence as president on US foreign policy following his party's losses in the midterm elections.