Hu's US trip may augur Japan-style investment

China’s President Hu Jintao capped a four-day trip to the US, using his last official function to meet with Chinese executives setting up businesses in the US.

After touring a Mandarin-teaching school in Chicago, Hu visited a suburban warehouse where Chinese businesses were on hand, describing to Hu their US expansion plans. Lu Guanqiu, chairman of Wanxiang Group, China’s biggest auto-parts maker, showed Hu the dashboards for the Chevy Volt and the solar panels his company’s US workers made.

Hu’s welcome in the Midwest — Mayor Richard M. Daley called him a “man of vision” — contrasts with the cold shoulder he received from some congressional leaders in Washington. It reflects the desire of local leaders to attract foreign investment, giving China the opportunity to improve its image in the US.