"Chinese President Xi Jinping, facing a skeptical audience on the first day of a week-long U.S. visit, sought to reassure business and government officials on Tuesday over a long list of irritants, from economic reform to cyber attacks, human rights and commercial theft. Xi, delivering a keynote address to some 650 business executives and other guests in Seattle, touched on a litany of issues that have strained U.S.-China ties. China will not manipulate its currency to boost exports and will never engage in commercial theft, he said, adding it will not discriminate against foreign businesses, will speed its market opening and make efforts to improve human rights," Reuters reports.
The New York Times writes, "President Xi Jinping pledged in a speech here on Tuesday night to work with the United States on fighting cybercrime, saying that the Chinese government was a staunch defender of cyber security. "The Chinese government will not in whatever form engage in commercial theft, and hacking against government networks are crimes that must be punished in accordance with the law and relevant international treaties," Mr. Xi said in an address to American business executives."
The Wall Street Journal writes, "Chinese stock markets fell on the news, which follows weak readings in August for fixed-asset investment, industrial production and exports as Beijing struggles to meet its growth target of about 7% this year, the slowest pace in 25 years. "New export orders have really collapsed. It means global trade is facing headwinds, and even China can't escape that," said HSBC economist Frederic Neumann. "It's not so bad that we need to hit the alarm button, but the decline in the economy is evident."