Story highlights
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrap their Sunnyland summit
Aides say the location offered the two leaders a quiet place to work through a range of issues
Discussed North Korea, cyber attacks and climate change issues
Obama agreed to hold a similar informal summit next in China
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up their Sunnyland summit Saturday with a late-morning stroll in the California desert.
Obama declared the visit “terrific.”
Over two days, the two leaders met for a total of eight hours at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, just outside Palm Springs in California.
The summit, held just four months after Xi took office, was meant to launch a close new relationship with a new Chinese leader.
The backdrop was unusual.
Opinion: Obama, talk about political reform with Xi
Sunnyland is a private estate of the Annenburg family. It is better known for hosting Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, and Ronald Reagan spent New Year’s Eve 18 times there.
Aides say the location offered the two leaders a quiet place to work through a range of issues.
Among them:
North Korea - The leaders agreed to keep up pressure on the country to rein in its nuclear ambitions.
Cyber attacks - According to the White House, the Chinese acknowledged the problem, agreed to investigate and work out “rules of the road.”
“I believe we can work together on this rather than at cross-purposes,” Obama said.
Climate change - For the first time, China agreed to work with the United States to limit the production of greenhouse gases.
Obama gave the Chinese leader a parting gift: a bench made of California wood.
During the summit, President Xi publicly invited Obama to visit China.
White House officials say the president agreed. Now, they are looking to hold a similar informal summit outside Beijing in the not-too-distant future.