In this Jan. 19, 2011, file photo, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama welcome China’s President Hu Jintao to the North Portico of the White House in Washington for a State Dinner. China will get its second state dinner under President Barack Obama when its leader, Xi Jinping, arrives at the White House on Friday. That leaves an entity viewed all over the world as the ultimate in entertaining perfection grappling with a basic question: How to make this dinner better than the last one? A state dinner is the glitzy end to a state visit, a high honor usually reserved for long-standing and close U.S. allies. That makes the double honor especially unique for China, as the two nations continue to differ on several issues including human rights and cyber security. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)