US-China relations are stable: Chinese President
China's ties with the United States remain stable, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on May 17, as he sought to defuse tension over a territorial dispute in the East Sea that has raised fears of confrontation between them.
"I look forward to continuing to develop this relationship with President Obama and to bring China-US relations to a new height along a track of a new model of major country relationship," Xi told US Secretary of State John Kerry at the end of Kerry's two-day trip to China.
Kerry's trip has been dominated by deepening security concerns about Beijing's maritime ambitions in the East Sea. China's rapid reclamation effort around seven reefs in the Spratly archipelago of the East Sea has alarmed claimants such as the Philippines and Vietnam.
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Xi told Kerry that China and the United States should handle disputes in a way that would not damage bilateral ties.
On May 16, Kerry urged China to take action to reduce tension in the East Sea.
Kerry's trip is intended to prepare for the annual US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue next month in Washington and Xi's expected visit to Washington in September, a trip that Xi said he looked forward to.