Pursuits
Xi Shows Off American Tastes, Citing Hemingway, `House of Cards'
- Recalls sipping mojitos to channel `Old Man and Sea' author
- Says China graft crackdown no Frank Underwood-style power play
What President Xi of China Speech Means for Investors
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Facing a houseful of U.S. business elites looking for reassurance over China’s intentions, President Xi Jinping showed off a fondness for American culture, mentioning everything from Hemingway to “House of Cards,” to make his case for “deepening understanding” between the two countries.
In a policy speech in Seattle to start a week-long U.S. trip, Xi portrayed himself as a student of cultural understanding. To better comprehend Ernest Hemingway-- “The Old Man and the Sea” is among his favorite books -- Xi said he visited the El Floridita bar in Havana to sample the mojitos at one of the writer’s preferred haunts, which features a life-sized bronze of the Nobel Prize winner.