As the Chinese government feels that it is getting a mixed message, "right now, the Chinese are sending a mixed signal back," said Cheng Li. In recent trips overseas, both President Jiang and Premier Zhu have intentionally chosen to visit Arab countries that included Libya, Egypt and Iran.
Those visits came before Vice President Hu's trip to the U.S and also at a time when the Arab countries feel most ambivalent about their relations with the U.S. One of Hu's main jobs during his visit here is to send a message to the White House that selling arms and being friendly with Taiwan will not benefit U.S-China relations.