China ready for Trump's 'state visit-plus': Cui

President Xi Jinping, right, and his US counterpart Donald Trump pose for photos in the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the United States, April 7, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Cui expressed equal confidence on the trade and economic issues, another priority of Trump's visit to China.

The ambassador said the two sides at the working level already have spent a lot of time and energy on the trade issue and are making progress.

"I am quite confident there would be a significant outcome or what people might call 'deliverable' on the economic and trade front for the president's visit," he said.

Cui said the rising trade disputes between the two largest economies are only a small part of the economic relationship. They should be handled in a constructive and pragmatic manner, so that they do not undermine the overall economic relationship.

"If we are really engaged in a joint effort for a mutually beneficial solution to these disputes, we can still have a win-win outcome," he said. "We are preparing for the economic outcome in the constructive and pragmatic spirit. At the conclusion of the president's visit, when the two sides have their respective press releases, there would be significant outcome on the economic side."

Cui also said it would take time to narrow the gaping US trade deficit with China, as it is a "structural" problem; one of the main reasons for the trade imbalance is the different positions of China and the US in the global production chain.

He said China doesn't want to accumulate a huge trade surplus, which in the long run may hurt the Chinese economy. Cui said that if the US side could lift some of the restrictions it has in place on some exports to China, of high tech products for civilian use, that could greatly increase US exports and help achieve more balanced trade between the two sides.

Cui also said that the US has no territorial claim in the South China Sea and should let countries in the region manage their disputes in a "friendly and effective way".

"We are intensifying our efforts on discussion of the COC, the code of conduct, and we are making good progress," Cui said. "I think it would certainly be better if others, including the United States, would not try to interfere in this constructive process, would not try to create obstacles to early agreement on the code of conduct."

Trump's visit to China would be his third stop in Asia, preceded by his stay in Japan and South Korea and followed by visits to Vietnam and the Philippines between Nov 5-14, according to the White House.

"I think almost everyone agrees that his visit to China might be the most important part of his Asian visit, and hopefully, it would be the most productive and constructive," Cui said.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com