VISITING Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Barack Obama; Xi’s counterpart, Joe Biden; and other senior U.S. officials in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

    Xi and the U.S. leaders vowed to grasp opportunities, overcome difficulties and further promote a China-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and benefits.

    Xi presented Obama with a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao, and said his visit was aimed at implementing the important consensus reached by the presidents of the two countries regarding promotion of bilateral ties.

    Xi said he would seek to build consensus, deepen friendships and communicate with people from various walks of life in the United States.

    Receiving Xi in the White House’s Oval Office, Obama said the United States welcomes the peaceful rise of China.

    Earlier Tuesday, Xi accepted Biden’s invitation to the White House and took part in talks that lasted more than two hours. In those discussions, Xi said China’s position on Syria is aimed at safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East and is in line with relevant international principles.

    At midday Tuesday, Xi was invited to attend a luncheon jointly hosted by Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

    On Tuesday afternoon, Xi visited the Pentagon and met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Edward Panetta. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also attended the meeting.

    Prior to the meeting, Panetta hosted a welcoming ceremony in honor of Xi in front of the Pentagon. Local media described the ceremony as a “rare” honor for a vice president of a foreign country.

    Late Tuesday afternoon, Xi addressed a business symposium. Xi was invited to attend a welcoming banquet hosted by Biden in the evening.

    Xi’s visit has generated extraordinary interest from international and U.S. media. A photo session during his meeting with Obama was televised live by major broadcasters, including CNN.

    Today, Xi is scheduled to visit Capitol Hill, meet with leaders of U.S. Congress and address a roundtable meeting of business leaders.

    He will then leave Washington for Muscatine, Iowa, to reunite with old friends he got to know on a prior U.S. visit, 27 years ago.

    (Xinhua)

    (Special report on P6)