Last week, Gary Locke arrived in Beijing to assume his office as the new American ambassador to China. Following that, US Vice-President Joe Biden arrived in Beijing for his visit to China. These two American politicians provoked lively discussion amongst ordinary Chinese. However, the discussion was not sparked by trade and currency tensions, nor the role of the United States in the ongoing disputes over the South China Sea. It was instead sparked by their informal behavior.

The Locke family took an ordinary civilian plane instead of a special government plane to Beijing. In the airport, they tried using a coupon to buy coffee, and even carried their own luggage in front of the media. Ambassador Locke was even pictured carrying a backpack. This was more reminiscent of a Chinese-American family traveling to China, rather than the arrival of a new ambassador.

Biden's trip was not as "low profile" as Locke's, but their lunch at a local restaurant became another hot topic in China. Biden and his granddaughter, accompanied by Mr and Mrs Locke, went to a small restaurant famed for its snacks. They ordered five bowls of bean paste noodles, 10 stuffed steamed buns, and some other dishes. It cost 79 yuan in total; Biden paid 100, said he was "sorry to bring you so much inconvenience" and told the owner to keep the change as a "tip, per US custom".

Biden and Locke's friendliness were largely praised by Chinese citizens. Some even said that Chinese officials should learn from their behavior. The two American politicians have successfully created a good image to be presented to the Chinese people.

Perhaps there is some truth to this. Americans are used to seeing their politicians attempt to portray themselves as "men of the people", with varying degrees of success. How often do we see photos of presidents biting into an overflowing hamburger? And there is some justification for these attempts: Biden and Locke, for example, rose from poorer circumstances to become some of the most powerful politicians in the American government.

Chinese people, however, are not used to this. The invisibility of Chinese politicians may be seen not as objective detachment, but as elitist indifference. Chinese politicians are trained to work on economic policy, rather than communicating with the public. But as China continues its political development, our politicians will become more gifted at communication.

However, we should not be distracted by this friendliness. In fact, it makes sense that American officials should keep a "low profile" on their foreign visits. China is currently the biggest creditor to the United States, holding trillions in US Treasuries. So it's good politics and public relations for American officials to act humbly, be friendly and keep a low profile on their foreign visits.

But talk is not the same as action. US President Obama's historic speech to the Muslim world in Cairo was hailed as a new era in the Middle East, sparked by a friendly president. Two years later, in the wake of Obama's continued support for Israel and the war in Libya, many in the Middle East are disappointed that such apparent friendliness did not translate into actual policy changes.

Undoubtedly it is good practice for government officials to avoid extravagant behavior on foreign visits. But as the world's biggest economy, this is not enough for the United States to extricate itself from the dire straits it finds itself in. The world's current financial instability was caused in part by American economic imprudence. The least that the US government should do now is to reduce the deficit and national debt, and ensure the safety of US Treasury holders from a financial crisis. That, and not the friendly behavior of a few American officials, is what is most needed.

The author is former secretary for home affairs of the Hong Kong SAR government.