Xi, Kissinger expound ties' importance

President Xi Jinping met with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. [Photo by Pang Xinglei/Xinhua]

President says relationship generally has moved forward in past 40 years

President Xi Jinping called for coordinated efforts with the United States to promote healthy development of Sino-US ties.

Xi made the remark on Thursday while meeting with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The president's comment comes ahead of his planned meeting with US President Donald Trump at the upcoming G20 Summit in Argentina.

China and the US should exercise proper judgment toward each other's strategic intentions, Xi said, adding that there are rising negative voices in the US toward China of late, which should be taken note of.

China would like to properly improve bilateral ties through friendly coordination on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, along with the spirit of mutual understanding and compromise, Xi said.

At the same time, the US should also respect China's right to choose its own development path, and walk in the same direction with China to jointly maintain the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, Xi added.

China upholds the path of peaceful development, and the country maintains its dedication to the development of Sino-US relations featuring nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Xi told the former US diplomat.

The world today is undergoing an unprecedented changing situation, Xi said, adding that "a lot of things have taken place" since his last meeting with Kissinger two years ago.

Despite twists and turns in the relationship over the past 40 years, the China-US relationship has generally maintained a stable forward momentum, Xi said while mentioning Kissinger's contributions to the establishment of Sino-US diplomatic ties in the 1970s.

Kissinger said that the US and China should better understand each other, enhance strategic communication, continue to expand common interests and properly handle disputes.

"Now is the moment I believe cooperation between China and the United States is essential for peace and progress in the world, and I see the enormous contribution you, Mr President, have made to these efforts," Kissinger said.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said while meeting with Kissinger that China and the US have far more common interests than disputes, and cooperation is their only right choice.

China and the US have high complementarity in their economies, and cooperation not only brings a bigger market and propelling force for US growth, but also creates a good external environment for China, Wang said.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with John Bolton, US national security adviser, in Washington on Wednesday, ahead of the second round of the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, scheduled for Friday.

Since Trump took office, he and Xi have provided strategic guidance for bilateral relations through meetings, telephone calls and letters, Yang said.

In their latest phone call, Xi and Trump had an in-depth discussion about Sino-US relations and other major issues of mutual concern, and agreed to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

The two sides should enhance coordination and advance dialogue and cooperation, while properly managing differences, to make full preparation for the Xi-Trump meeting in Argentina, ensuring it would produce "positive outcomes", Yang said.