Xi Jinping is caught in a bind: How do I undermine US power while also courting its investors?

• Xi Jinping on Wednesday was playing nice with US business leaders and academics on Wednesday. 
• He's seeking to boost China's faltering economy. 
• But Xi is also trying to dent US global power on several fronts. 

China's President Xi Jinping presented an uncharacteristically affable image Wednesday, smiling broadly for US business leaders at a meeting in Beijing.

The Chinese leader sought to assure investors including Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm and Stephen Schwarzman of the Blackstone Group that the downturn in China's economy, its biggest contraction in 15 years, would be over soon.