Chinese president meets US secretary of state

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday met with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing, capital of China, April 13, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

Kerry arrived in Beijing earlier on Saturday for a two-day visit with a tight schedule of meetings with Chinese leaders and senior officials.

China is the second leg of Kerry's four-day East Asia tour, which has taken him to the Republic of Korea. He will fly to Japan on Sunday.

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew paid a visit to China on March 19-20, and also met with Xi.

Xi said Kerry is the second key member of US President Barack Obama's administration to visit China within a month after Xi was elected president in March, and this shows both countries' full understanding of the importance of Sino-US ties.

Currently the Sino-US relationship is in a new era with a good start, and both sides are devoted to building a new type of relationship between powers, Xi said.

The President said he believes Kerry's visit to China will contribute to the positive momentum of the developing bilateral ties.

Kerry said that they are meeting at a "very key time", and that he looks forward to getting a clear picture of the roadmap ahead that Xi envisions.

"This is obviously a critical time," and economies around the world needs a boost, Kerry said.

It is the first trip for Kerry to visit China as Secretary of State after taking office.

And the Saturday meeting with Xi is the highest level of direct talk between the two governments since the new leadership of each country was respectively sworn in earlier this year.