For some media outlets in the United States, President Barack Obama's trip to China this week was defined by his chewing gum while stepping out of a limousine and the subsequent comments by Chinese bloggers, or his awkward interaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The substance of the trip has largely been ignored.

But it is fair to say that with the relatively low expectations after the somewhat downward spiral of the bilateral relationship over the past year, Obama's trip has produced many surprising and important agreements, ranging from climate change to a military-to-military confidence building mechanism.

While all the agreements will have a significant global impact, perhaps the visa agreement first announced by Obama on Monday will prove to be most important deliverable of this visit.