New | Everywhere at home but nowhere abroad: Xi Jinping's US visit gets lost in the media mix
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States may have strengthened his image back at home but his carefully scripted trip appears to have failed to impress the US public.
Chinese media offered blanket coverage of Xi's trip, where he pledged billions of US dollars in aid and debt forgiveness for the world's poorest nations, portraying his speeches as a symbol of China's rise and willingness to share global responsibility.
"It was the first time since the opening of the UN Sustainable Development Summit that national leaders waited in line to shake hands with a speaker," read a commentary carried by a mainland newspaper.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Xi Jinping's US state visit
Another commentary, by the official , said: "Measures brought forward by China show that global development has gained greater impetus from a rising China."
Other major newspapers, including the and the , highlighted the debt relief brought by China to some of the world's poorest countries - a move that received some criticism as China itself faces poverty-related problems.
Analysts said that while the president successfully strengthened his image at home through his visit, he failed to gain the favour of the US public.
"From Xi's point of view, this is more of a show for the audience in China, than for the people in the US," said political science professor Bo Zhiyue, of Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
"You can clearly see that he wants to be seen as a leader with confidence, with the ability to handle business in the US, and as a world leader in the UN.
"[But] I think [much of the international audience] still has trouble understanding completely what Xi is trying to do either domestically or internationally," Bo said.
Zhao Suisheng, director of the University of Denver's Centre for China-US Cooperation, said Xi received "very, very low exposure" in the US media.
"Xi came at a terrible timing, colliding with Pope Francis' visit. The common folks, including many of my colleagues, had no idea Xi was visiting," said Zhao, who attended a September 22 banquet in Seattle where Xi delivered the first speech of his trip.
"The coverage in Chinese media put great emphasis on how Xi was met with great favour and great attention, and how he achieved many accomplishments. In this sense, he has, to a great extent, met the goal of building up an image as a strong, influential and internationally respected leader for his audience back home."
Kerry Brown, director of the University of Sydney's China Studies Centre, said the president's visit probably raised awareness of him in the US.
"But I did not see any real signs of spontaneity in his visit to the US. Everything seemed tightly controlled and very carefully scripted," Brown said.
"It is very puzzling. The story of China and its transformation, dynamism and rise on the world stage is one of the most exciting of our times.
"It just seems that Chinese leaders are very reluctant to do very exciting things in telling this story. They are far too risk averse."
