Since moving to Washington in January, I have followed closely what the White House, Congress and the leading think tanks say about China and US-China relations. The comments by senior administration officials about issues such as cyber security and tension on the Korean Peninsula and maritime territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas are frequently red hot.

There is no doubt that the US capital is not just a major source of news and events, it's also where people are extremely good at spinning the news.

So a trip early this week to the Midwestern state of Iowa to cover the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of ties between Iowa and Hebei province was a welcome change and shows how the focus should be on different topics, those at the sub-national or people-to-people level.