Hu's White House lunch: Rare but not bloody by Brian Wingfield

Chinese President Hu Jintao was to touch down in the United States on Tuesday, and most pundits seem to believe that his visit - which includes his first trip to the White House - will yield little in the way of tangible results.

No one is expecting any deals to be made on contentious economic disputes. No one anticipates Hu promising to cut his country's military spending and energy consumption or announcing a new crackdown on rampant intellectual property theft. In fact, US President George W Bush will not even honor him with a formal state dinner. (The two presidents will have a very formal lunch instead.)