Xi's US visit to boost new type of major-country relationship

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States in September will give a new boost to the development of a new type of major-country relationship, international think tanks said Thursday.

Xi accepted President Barack Obama's invitation for a state visit during a phone conversation on Wednesday. This will be Xi's first state visit to the US since he became China's top leader in 2013.

"Face to face communication will facilitate a steady growth of bilateral relationship and ensure a smooth transition of China's relations with the new US administration after presidential elections in 2016," said Ruan Zongze, vice president of the China Institute of International Studies.

During the phone conversation, Xi expressed hope that the two countries' Strategic and Economic Dialogue and high-level consultation on people-to-people exchanges, which will be held in the United States this year, will achieve as many positive results as possible.

Xi and Obama discussed several areas of potential cooperation, including working toward bilateral investment treaty and reducing greenhouse gas emissions ahead of a climate summit in Paris in December.

"Through this trip, both sides will better manage their differences on South China Sea and cyber security to avoid frictions or crisis in bilateral ties," said Da Wei, a research fellow with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

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

"Military relations are the 'short plank' (in the concept of the cask effect) in China-USrelations. A small step forward in this will lift the overall relationship," military expert Zhao Xiaozhuo said.