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1) January 29 -- Obama administration notified the U.S. Congress of proposed arms sales to Taiwan totalling $6.4 billion (4 billion pound). Congress has 30 calendar days to review the proposal before the administration may conclude any deals.
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2) February 21-24 -- The Dalai Lama is scheduled to go to the United States, visiting California and Florida. He is due to be in Dharamsala, his exile base in northern India, to lecture on February 28. He thus has openings before February 21 or between February 24 and 28 when it would be possible to meet Obama, an event sure to draw angry criticism from China, which is viewed as a brazen challenge to China's core interest.
The Dalai Lama returns to the U.S. in May, and could meet Obama on that visit.
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3) February 28 -- Obama administration free to proceed with the weapons sales to Taiwan unless Congress passes legislation barring or modifying a proposed sale, something it has never done. Lawmakers, however, may pass legislation to block or modify an arms sale at any time up to the point of delivery of the arms, a process that may take years.
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4) March 5 -- China's annual parliamentary session, the National People's Congress, opens. China usually unveils its official defence budget for the year at a news conference a day before the open, giving a signal of the pace of its military modernisation. The parliament usually meets for about 10 days.
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5) April 12-13 -- Obama hosts an international nuclear security summit in Washington, bringing together leaders to discuss arms control, non-proliferation and reducing the world's stockpile of nuclear weapons.
Chinese President Hu Jintao would be his nation's most fitting representative at the meeting, but Beijing has yet to announce whether he will go.
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6) May 12-23 -- Dalai Lama scheduled to return to the United States, giving talks in Indiana, Iowa and New York, opening another opportunity for him to meet Obama.
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7) May 15-25 -- U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke leads trade mission to the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Indonesia, promoting deals with American companies in clean energy.
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8) May onwards-- Senior officials from the United States and China scheduled to gather in Beijing for Strategic and Economic Dialogue, an annual meeting when both sides discuss key economic, foreign policy and security concerns.
Neither government has publicly confirmed a date for the meeting, but some time from May to July appears likely.
During last year's dialogue in July, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner led the U.S. delegation. China's delegation was led by State Councillor Dai Bingguo and Vice Premier Wang Qishan.
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9) June 26-27 - Meeting of G20 leaders of major rich and developing economies scheduled in Toronto, giving Hu and Obama an opportunity to meet.
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10) October perhaps -- The two countries are preparing for their Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade, a regular meeting that focuses on economic ties. No date has been set. Last year's was held in late October in the east Chinese city of Hangzhou.
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11) November 2 -- Mid-term elections for U.S. Congress. These elections are likely to be a test of the popularity of the policies of the Obama administration. With economic concerns uppermost in many voters' minds, trade and currency tensions with China may become a significant issue.
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12) November -- South Korea scheduled to host second summit for the year of the G20 group of major rich and developing economies, giving Hu and Obama another chance to meet.
That G20 summit is likely to happen immediately before or after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of regional leaders, set to be held in Yokohama, Japan, on November 13-14, a separate opportunity for the two leaders to meet.
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13) November-December -- When Obama visited China in November 2009, Hu accepted his invitation to visit the United States in 2010.
No date has been set for Hu's trip, which China would treat as a major state visit, with every detail negotiated beforehand. Such a visit appears unlikely to happen before the U.S. Congressional mid-term elections.
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14) December -- Local elections for mayors and magistrates across Taiwan. No firm date has been set for the elections, which will cover about 60 percent of the island's electorate.The vote will pit the ruling Nationalist Party (KMT) and against the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, and Beijing's policies towards Taiwan could be a major issue.
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