President cites US ties in gathering with ex-leaders

China would like to walk in the same direction as the United States, handle their disputes and expand cooperation, President Xi Jinping said on Monday.

Xi made the remark while meeting with a delegation of global leaders called The Elders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The independent group was founded in 2007 by Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa.

Xi told the group that Sino-US ties are among the world's most important bilateral relationships. China would like to develop its relations with the US on the basis of coordination, cooperation and stability to provide more certainty and predictability for the world, he added.