In addition, Foster said he thinks China does better than many other countries in developing leaders from the lower levels.

"When they get to the top rank they will have had experiences in various sectors of the economy. They have the expertise to run a country with a vast population and complexity," he said.

Forty years of opening-up has helped lift more than 740 million people out of poverty and made China into a powerful country.

"The story of China should be more applauded and appreciated in the West. However, in the US, we tend to focus on the immediate issues and problems - the trade deficit, incidents in the South China Sea, Taiwan, or whatever the issue of the day is," Foster said.

"Secondly, American citizens don't know much about other countries, including China. The public has little appreciation of China's history. That history drives the leadership policy decisions, just as the US' history drives its decisions."

The most pressing issue for China is to have a good public relations strategy to better engage the Western audience, he said. "China is powerful, but at times it overreacts to situations and does itself a disservice."

In addition, while China is big and powerful, there is a danger in that US President Donald Trump loves China one minute then portraits it as an enemy the next.

Foster suggested that Xi should duplicate what Deng did 40 years ago by showing a friendly face directly to the American public.

"Act like an American politician to show the humane side. Hug a person, kiss a baby, visit an Iowa farm or come to Texas to ride rodeo," he said. "If American people see you as a regular person, that would help the relationship."