Paulson begins high-profile China trip

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson arrived in China Tuesday for a trip that has attracted considerable political interest in Washington amid concerns over China's trade surplus and undervalued currency, AP reported. His first stop was Hangzhou for a meeting with Xi Jinping, Communist Party secretary for Zhejiang province and a friend of Paulson's from his frequent visits to China as chairman of Goldman Sachs. He will travel to Beijing on Wednesday, where he has appointments with officials including Vice Premier Wu Yi and Finance Minister Jin Renqing. Paulson has already made it clear that he is looking to work with China on its long-term reform plan and isn't looking for "quick fixes" on any issue. Washington is keen for Paulson to elicit promises from Beijing on currency reform and assistance in restarting the Doha round of WTO talks aimed at removing barriers to global commerce.