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

Xi said China and the US fought fascist invasion during WW-II, shoulder-to-shoulder, and safeguarded peace, freedom and justice

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 sent 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 were 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.