Xi, Obama meet for first summit

（Xinhua） 09:26, June 08, 2013

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Annenberg Retreat, California, the United States, June 7, 2013. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, met Friday to exchange views on major issues of common concern. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

SUNNYLANDS, United States, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, met Friday in this picturesque estate in Rancho Mirage, California, to exchange views on major issues of common concern.

Obama received Xi upon his arrival, and the two heads of state greeted each other.

At the beginning of the meeting, Xi thanked Obama for his invitation, saying that he was glad to hold talks with the U.S. president at Sunnylands.

"Sunnylands is close to the Pacific Ocean, and China is just on the other side of the ocean," Xi said.

Xi recalled his visit to the United States last year when he said that the vast Pacific Ocean has enough room to accommodate the development of two great powers in the world, namely China and the United States.

"Today I meet here with President Obama to map out a blueprint for the development of China-U.S. relations and conduct cooperation across the Pacific Ocean," the Chinese president said.

Following the meeting, Xi and Obama are expected to have a working dinner to continue talks on relevant issues. They will meet again on Saturday morning.

The summit is the first face-to-face meeting between the presidents of China and the United States since the two countries completed their latest leadership transitions.