The White House and its surrounds were flooded in sunshine as Hu Jintao stepped up to speak at the lavish welcome laid out for the visiting Chinese president by Barack Obama, his US counterpart.
But in parallel with the relationship that both Mr Hu and Mr Obama spoke of warmly in front of the dignitaries crowded on to the south lawn, the sun had disappeared behind the clouds by the time the ceremony was over.
The White House welcome marked the opening of what has been billed as the most important bilateral summit in decades, alongside cabinet-level meetings on economic, national security and environmental issues.
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