Realizing Chinese Dream is in essence promotion of human rights: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama meet with the press after their talks in Washington D.C., the United States, Sept. 25, 2015. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25  -- Realizing the Chinese Dream is a process that promotes social justice and advances human rights, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Friday.

Xi, paying his first state visit to the United States, made the remarks during a joint press conference with U.S. President Barack Obama, who welcomed Xi to the White House with a formal ceremony earlier in the day.

Democracy and human rights are the common pursuits of human kind, Xi said, noting that the rights of people in different countries to choose their own development path must be respected.

Before visiting the U.S. capital, Xi concluded a busy two-and-a-half-day stay in the West Coast technology and aviation hub of Seattle, where he put forward a four-point proposal on developing new model of major-country relationship between China and U.S..

The Chinese president will be in New York from Sept. 26 to 28 for a series of summits and meetings marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.