US President George W. Bush has accepted President Hu Jintao's invitation to visit China in November, a senior White House official said on Tuesday.

Mike Green, the US National Security Council's director for Asian affairs, told reporters the visit would take place after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in South Korea, but did not give specific details of Bush's schedule.

The two presidents held talks on Tuesday afternoon local time, immediately after Hu arrived in New York to attend the summit on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the UN.

China will jointly work with the US to ease the trade frictions and to address bilateral trade imbalance through trade cooperation, Hu said. He said that he hopes the US side will ease its restrictions on exports to China, particularly its high-tech exports, and take corresponding active measures to enhance the trade balance between the two countries.

Hu pointed out that due to the rapid and large-scale development concerning the trade ties, the emergence of some frictions and disputes are inevitable.

"A sound and steadily growing China-US relationship not only serves the interests of our two peoples, but also contributes to peace, stability and development in the world," he said.

"The mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation is the mainstream of our relationship," which "on the whole, has been developing quite well," he said.

Looking at crucial issues to Sino-US relations, Hu said China hopes "the US will join the Chinese side in safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and opposing the so-called 'Taiwan independence.'"

Bush said the US-China relationship is very important for the US, and both he himself and the US government attach great importance to it, and will strengthen consultation and cooperation in various fields with China.

On the Taiwan question, Bush said the US side understands it is a highly sensitive issue and its one-China policy will not change.

Bush also said he hoped the two countries will strengthen cooperation in the protection of intellectual property rights.

He thanked China for its important role in the six-party talks aimed at resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and reiterated that the US side will insist on resolving the issue diplomatically through the six-party talks.

(China Daily September 15, 2005)