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What will Barack Obama and China's new President Xi Jinping find to talk about at a special summit in California on Friday?
During their two days together at an estate in Rancho Mirage, discussions are expected to focus on hacking, tension between their militaries and North Korea.But both men also seem keen to establish a personal rapport. So they may end up seeking common ground, focussing on shared interests - like basketball. Here are some other suggestions for breaking the ice.
Two presidents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Compare and contrast | Chinese President Xi Jinping | US President Barack Obama |
| Age | 59 (Born 15 June 1953) | 51 (Born 4 August 1961) |
| At a glance | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Became president at a meeting of the National People's Congress in March 2013 | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Sworn in for his first term as president in January 2009; re-elected in November 2012 |
| Both went to prestigious universities | Studied chemical engineering at Beijing's elite Tsinghua University. Returned a few years later to study for a PhD in Marxist ideology | Gained a bachelor's degree at Columbia University, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law |
| Both are sporty | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Watches NBA basketball games on the television and is also a soccer fan. Enjoys swimming and mountain climbing | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Plays basketball. At the gym, "he runs hard on the treadmill", watching ESPN's SportsCenter |
| Both love reading... | Read books "as thick as bricks" when he was banished to the countryside during China's tumultuous Cultural Revolution. Even now, reading is his favourite hobby. "Reading has become a way of life for me," he admits | Known bookworm and one-time book reviewer for the Chicago Tribune. News that he is reading a particular book is known to boost sales |
| … and writing | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Wrote hundreds of articles for the Zhejiang Daily under the pen name, Zhexin. His column was said to have discussed the "everyday problems of interest to the common people", according to China's state-run media. | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Has penned two international bestsellers and won two Grammy awards for the audio versions of his books |
| Visiting each other's country | Briefly visited Iowa in 1985 to study agricultural techniques, from corn production to raising pigs but did not return again, in an official capacity, until 2012 | First visited China in November 2009 in the first year of his presidency |
| Their accomplished wives… | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Peng Liyuan is a famous folk singer. She also serves as a major general with the People's Liberation Army and a World Health Organisation Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/Aids and tuberculosis | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Michelle Obama has a Harvard law degree and worked for years as a hospital administrator |
| …and well-educated children | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Daughter believed to have been enrolled at Harvard under a pseudonym | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Daughters attend the swanky Sidwell Friends School in Washington |
| Have enterprising fathers | Father, a Communist elder, pushed for economic restructuring | Father, who once herded goats in Kenya, went to Harvard |
| In their own words | Has spoken of "foreigners with full bellies and nothing to do but criticise our affairs" | Says: "I absolutely believe China's peaceful rise is good for the world and it's good for America. We just want to make sure that that rise occurs in a way that reinforces international norms and international rules, and enhances security" |
| At the movies | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Enjoys US-made movies such as Saving Private Ryan, explaining: "Americans have a clear outlook on values and clearly demarcate between good and evil. In American movies good usually prevails" | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  Loves the opening scene in The Godfather, explaining: "The caretaker comes in and, you know, Marlon Brando is sitting there and he's saying, 'You disrespected me, you know, and now you want a favour.'" |
| Both have a distinctive personal style | Tough - and "very, very direct", says US Vice President Joe Biden | Academic, professorial, Spock-like in private settings |