US Vice President Joe Biden (left) and China's Premier Wen Jiabao (right) share laughter during their meeting at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing on Friday. — Reuters BEIJING — US.Vice President Joe Biden, in China on a five-day charm mission, has worked hard with his hosts to inject a little amity into the sometimes fractious relationship, pulling punches but not his punch lines. On Thursday, China's vice president and likely leader-in-waiting, Xi Jinping, met Biden at the Great Hall of the People. “Good to see you again,” Xi said. “I know you are very busy with national affairs at home.” “You ARE national affairs,” Biden told his counterpart from the United States' largest creditor. After on a stroll up the red carpet, Biden found a familiar face during introductions to the Chinese delegation. “Remember what I told you last time: if I had hair like yours I'd be president,” the 68-year-old VP with a well-groomed but receding silver hairline said. Pleasantries out of the way, Xi and Biden got down to real issues — shoring up prospects for Sino-American relations and offering a dose of optimism about the US economy. Then it was time for lunch. But Biden was chicken when it came to having guts. Eating at a tiny Beijing restaurant renowned for its fried liver and pig intestines, the vice president balked: “Noodles or dumplings.” That meal for five, which included the new US ambassador to China Gary Locke and Biden's granddaughter, cost about 79 yuan ($12), and seemed to have struck the right chord with Chinese microbloggers. By noon the next day tens of thousands had weighed in on the lunch, many admiring the careful choreography to show how wisely Americans spend their money. Lend away, China.
