Chinese President to visit US in Sept   

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held phone talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama and accepted the latter's invitation to pay a state visit to the United States in September.

Both sides agreed to make full preparations to ensure the success of the trip.

Exchanging New Year greetings, the two leaders agreed to work together to facilitate a steady and healthy growth of China-US relations while promoting a greater development in building their new type of major-country relationship.

During the conversation, Xi said "over the past year, we have had a series of in-depth talks, reaching important consensus on China-US ties as well as significant issues concerning regional and international peace and development."

"I looked forward to continuing strategic dialogues with President Obama," Xi added.

Meanwhile, Xi expressed the hope that the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) that will be held in the United States this year will achieve as many positive results as possible under the joint efforts of the two sides.

During the conversation, the Chinese president also called on both sides to broaden cooperation in economy and trade, military, energy, environmental protection, infrastructure and law enforcement and expand people-to-people exchange, so as to consolidate the foundation of China-US ties.

The two sides need to speed up talks on a bilateral investment treaty to foster new bright spots in trade and investment and the US side should loosen restrictions on export of high-tech products to China and take actions to facilitate Chinese investments in the United States, Xi added.

On such major issues as climate change, global development agenda and world health security, the two countries should enhance communication and coordination, Xi stressed.

Urging both sides to respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, Xi expressed the hope that Washington takes seriously China's concern on Taiwan and Tibet to keep China-US ties away from unfavorable interference.

Reiterating that China's success is in line with the US interest, Obama said China-US ties have made historic progress in 2014.

The United States is willing to work with China to maintain the momentum, strengthening pragmatic cooperations with China in such fields as economy and trade, jointly addressing regional and global challenges and controlling their differences, Obama said.

He also expressed the hope that two countries will enhance communication and cooperation on climate change so as to secure positive outcome at a major climate summit in Paris in December.

Appreciating China's contributions to helping African countries fight the deadly Ebola apedemic, Obama said he hopes to join hands with China in promoting global health security.

Stressing that Washington attaches great importance to the development of bilateral as well as global economy, Obama said the US side is ready to increase coordination with China and accommodate each other's concern to work for a high-standard bilateral investment treaty and is ready to enhance dialogue and cooperation to lift global demand.

Meanwhile, the two leaders exchanged views on regional and international issues like the 70th anniversary of the victory over Fascism, cyber security, Iran's nuclear issue and the situation on the Korean Peninsula, promising to increase coordination and cooperation in order to help solve issues concerning global security and stability. (Updated)