Chinese President meets US Secretary of State

Beijing, Sep 30 (IANS) Chinese President Xi Jinping met visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday, discussing US President Donald Trump's visit to China later this year.

"Currently the most important event in our bilateral relations is President Trump's China visit in November," Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

"His visit will be a major opportunity for the development of China-US relations," the Chinese President said.

He said ties between the two countries had been generally stable and that he had maintained sound communication with Trump.

Chinese and US teams should implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, grasp the direction of bilateral relationship, respect each other and focus on cooperation while dealing with differences properly, Xi said.

"China attaches great importance to President Trump's visit, and I look forward to working with him to outline and advance our bilateral relations in the years to come," Xi said.

He said the teams on both sides should work closely to make the visit "successful and special." Tillerson conveyed Trump's greetings to Xi, saying the US President looks forward to his visit to China.

Hailing the progress in US-China relations under the auspices of the two Presidents, Tillerson said the US values its relations with China and hopes to increase mutual trust and practical cooperation in various areas as well as to jointly tackle international and regional challenges.

The US official also met China's top diplomats to discuss efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions, reports said. He held talks with State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square.