Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a phone call with US President Donald Trump, reiterated the need to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula peacefully, with the elimination of nuclear weapons as the priority.
The two leaders spoke on the phone on Wednesday, days after their first face-to-face in Florida.
Xi said China would keep lines of communication with the US open if Washington wants to coordinate with Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R, Front) and his US counterpart Donald Trump (L, Front) take a walk to further discuss bilateral cooperation issues in the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the United States, on April 7, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
Xi and Trump also discussed the situation in Syria. The Chinese president said the use of chemical weapons was unacceptable.
“We should adhere to the direction of resolving the issue through political settlement. It is very important for the UN Security Council to maintaining solidarity in a bid to resolve the Syria issue, and I hope the UNSC will speak with one voice."
The leaders of the world’s two largest economies met for two days last week at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“My meeting with Mr. President at Mar-a-Lago resort has achieved important results, and the Chinese people and the international community have made positive comments about it. Thank Mr. President for his warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangements," Xi said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his US counterpart Donald Trump in the latter's Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago in the United States, April 6, 2017. /Xinhua Photo
Xi said he and Trump had an in-depth discussion about the relationship between China and the US, as well as other major international issues.
“Mr. President and I have enhanced mutual understanding and established a good working relationship. The next step is for the two sides to push forward the implementation of the ‘100-day plan’ on economic cooperation through a four-pronged high-level dialogue mechanism.”
The mechanism is made up of the diplomatic and security dialogue, the comprehensive economic dialogue, the law enforcement and cyber-security dialogue, and the social and cultural issues dialogue.
Xi pushed for the two countries to cooperate in more areas such as the military, law enforcement, social and cultural exchanges, communication, and coordination on regional and global affairs.
Trump said he was pleased to have met Xi, and that their summit had been a success. He said China and the US should work together to expand pragmatic cooperation.
Trump said he looked forward to his state visit to China.
