Trump holds first meeting with senior Chinese official

The United States attaches great importance to cooperative relations with China, US President Donald Trump said on Monday in his first meeting with a senior Chinese official since his inauguration last month.

In their meeting at the White House, China's top diplomat, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, conveyed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Trump, who expressed his gratitude, and asked Yang to return his greetings to his Chinese counterpart, according to a press release from China's Foreign Ministry.

Yang, who is in the US on a two-day visit, said the phone call between Xi and Trump earlier this month is of great significance because it charted the course for the next phase in the development of the Sino-US relationship.

"In line with the spirit of the phone conversation, and following the principles of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, China is willing to ramp up exchanges with the US at high and various levels, expand cooperation and coordination in wide-ranging bilateral areas and on major regional and international issues and respect each other's core interests and major concerns," Yang said.

The efforts are meant to advance China-US relations in a steady and healthy fashion, and to deliver more benefits to the people of the two nations and the world at large, Yang said, according to the release.

Trump said he was glad to have the very important phone conversation with Xi, and the US side highly stressed the importance of cooperative relations with China, according to the release.

Trump also said that China and the US need to strengthen high-level contacts, enhance collaboration in various fields and increase cooperation and coordination in international affairs.

Vice-President Mike Pence and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner also attended the Trump-Yang meeting.

On Monday, Yang also exchanged ideas on Sino-US relations and other issues of mutual interest with senior US officials including Kushner, White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

Yang is expected to meet US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday.

A meeting of Xi and Trump will be at the top of the agenda for Yang and US officials, who will discuss when and where the two heads of state will meet, as they said in their phone conversation that they looked forward to a meeting at an early date, Jia Xiudong, a research fellow with the China Institute of International Studies, was quoted by Xinhua as saying on Sunday.

Yang's visit coincides with the 45th anniversary of the historical visit to China in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, whose trip paved the way for the two countries to establish diplomatic relations in 1979.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com