Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) greets visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing February 14, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

BEIJING -- Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that he hoped US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to China will be a "good start" for relations between the two countries this year.

Chinese President meets US State secretary

Kerry's visit bodes well for China-US ties

Kerry's visit coincides with China's Lantern Festival, the last day of the Spring Festival season, a symbol of ringing out the old year and ringing in the new, Wang said during his talks with Kerry in Beijing.

China is willing to work with the United States on building a new type of relationship between major countries, which features no conflict and no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, Wang said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama held a historic summit last June at the Annenberg Retreat in California, during which they reached an agreement on building a new type of major-country relationship, setting a direction for long-term bilateral relations.

"President Xi Jinping gave important guidelines for bilateral ties this year when meeting with you [Kerry]. China is willing to work with the U.S. to implement the consensus of the two heads of state as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of our diplomatic relations," Wang said.

The two countries should respect and accommodate each other's core interests and major concerns, enhance high-level dialogue and exchanges at all levels, increase pragmatic cooperation, and properly handle differences, Wang said.

"We need to accumulate and unleash the positive energy of the relationship and promote it towards continuous progress on the right track," Wang said.

At the start of his meeting with Wang, Kerry said he hoped 2014 will be "a year of concrete progress" in building a new type of relationship, managing bilateral differences effectively and finding a way to cooperate practically.

Kerry said his meeting with President Xi earlier Friday morning was "very constructive and positive."

Apart from bilateral relations, Kerry said his agenda in China included the Korean issue, the Syrian issue and climate change.

Kerry arrived in Beijing earlier Friday morning, starting his two-day visit to China.

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