Anti-CCP Banner Welcomes China’s Xi Jinping to America

A banner denouncing China’s Communist Party circled the sky above downtown San Francisco on Tuesday morning just before Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in the United States.

The high-profile protest, organized by democracy activists and members of the Chinese diaspora, was emblematic of the tricky atmosphere greeting China’s president and his hosts as they navigate Xi’s first visit to America in six years.

Xi, who has embarked on only his third overseas trip of 2023, will remain in California until November 17 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit, although the blanket coverage in Chinese state media suggests his real purpose is to sit down with U.S. President Joe Biden in order to manage growing tensions on multiple fronts.

They are set to meet on Wednesday for their first face-to-face talks in a year. Meanwhile, the White House is under heavy scrutiny from key stakeholders in American politics.

“It is futile and self-defeating for the United States to engage with the CCP regime while Xi Jinping is committing more atrocities every day,” said Fengsuo Zhou, executive director of the New York-based Human Rights in China, who helped organize Tuesday’s flying banner protest.

“China without freedom and democracy can only be an adversary to democratic countries,” Zhou told Newsweek. Human rights “must be at the center of U.S policy” toward Beijing, he said.

“End CCP, Free China, Free HK, Free Tibet, Free Uighur,” read the banner flown over San Francisco’s Bay Area, a stone’s throw from the Moscone Center, where this year’s APEC forum is taking place.

For every democracy activist that protests Xi’s arrival, a counter-protester is mobilized to rally on the Chinese leader’s behalf, rights groups say. Pro-CCP demonstrators waved flags at San Francisco’s airport as Xi’s plane prepared to land on Tuesday afternoon, student groups said on X, formerly Twitter.

People from both sides have clashed outside Xi’s hotel since Monday, with pro-Beijing nonprofits—linked to the CCP’s “united front” influence network—unfurling welcome banners at locations in the city, pictures showed.

The White House says Biden is approaching the talks from a position of strength; that is to say, Beijing isn’t. The president told a fundraiser on Tuesday that Xi faced “real problems” as a result of renewed American leadership in the world.

Xi also is scheduled to attend an expensive dinner with U.S. corporate elites, including the CEOs of America’s top firms—a sign of what’s at stake for the Chinese economy.

China’s leader has “strong incentives” to appeal directly to the American business community, according to Guonan Ma, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute think tank in New York.

“First, he has little downside in doing so, obviously both domestically and internationally,” Ma told Newsweek.

“Second, he may try to counter some of the negative media comments about Beijing’s recent policies, including security-related measures,” he said.

“Third, he may wish to stem the recent foreign capital outflows from China, which had helped to promote the Chinese growth over the past few decades. Finally, he may try to push for a more favorable balance between beneficial business cooperation and nasty geopolitical tensions,” he added.

“The challenge is that the ‘small yard, high fence’ vision could easily turn into a reality of ‘huge national parks, extending fences.’ The business community simply hates uncertainty,” Ma said.

The Chinese consulate in Los Angeles could not be reached for comment before publication.