China`s Xi downplays differences, says US visit `fruitful`

Beijing: Downplaying their differences over the disputed South China Sea and the cyber espionage claims, Chinese President Xi Jinping has described his talks with US counterpart Barack Obama as "fruitful" and said it sends a positive signal on the synergy between the two largest economies.

Addressing a luncheon hosted by US Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry at State Department, Xi said he and Obama are determined to build a new model of major-country relationship.

The visit, guided by consensus, achieved fruitful results with new, important progress in areas such as investment, people-to-people exchanges, climate change and coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, Xi said as he wound up his maiden visit to Washington.

"I believe that as long as our two sides join hands and make unremitting efforts, we will continue to open up new phases for China-US ties and better benefit peoples of the two countries and the world as a whole," he was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.

Playing down the differences over the disputed South China Sea and the increasing cyber-attacks, Xi said the China-US ties have moved forward in general over the past 70 years despite twists and turns, bringing a lot of benefits for people of the two countries and the world.

The US has accused China of serial cyber thefts, and protested its military build-up in the South China Sea.

Xi said China and the US fought fascist invasion during the second World War, shoulder-to-shoulder, and safeguarded peace, freedom and justice. The Chinese people would never forget the assistance provided by the Americans, he added.

Earlier at a joint press conference with Obama, Xi said China and the US have reached an important consensus on a joint fight against cyber-crimes, which the US president said has become a grave threat to American entities.

Both the governments would not engage in, or knowingly support online theft of intellectual property and explore the formulation of appropriate norms of behaviour in cyber-space, the Chinese president said. Xi said China and US have agreed to establish a high-level dialogue mechanism to fight cyber-crimes. He expressed the hope that cyber issues would not turn into a point of confrontation between the two sides.

Before Xi's visit, the US had threatened economic sanctions against China over the cyber-theft claims. China has denied the accusations, and accused the US of spying on it.

In his banquet speech, Xi called on the two countries to strengthen mutual trust, realise peaceful coexistence, and expand cooperation, so as to benefit the two peoples and the international community.

Biden said the two presidents had candid and in-depth discussions in the past two days, and the two sides reached a broad consensus on properly managing their differences.

He reaffirmed America's stance that China's peaceful development will have a positive influence on the world.

The US and China share broad interests, and there is no problem that cannot be resolved although there are indeed some problems, he said.

The two countries face competition, but it is a healthy one, Biden said, noting that the two sides could learn from each other and realise common development.

Kerry spoke of the cooperation between the US and China in dealing with global issues such as climate change. He said the US and China, with a quarter of the global population and one-third of the world's economic aggregate, will make greater achievements in cooperation than other countries.

The two countries will overcome their differences and achieve more results in cooperation as long as they speak frankly and sincerely and seek common ground, he added.