"China and the United States are different in history, culture, social system and development level. It is thus only normal that we have some disagreements and frictions," Hu noted.

"We should view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective and with a sense of responsibility to history and to the future. We should prevent our relations from being affected or held back by any individual incident at any particular time. We should increase mutual trust, remove obstacles and work together to build a China-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit," said the Chinese president.

Hu arrived in Washington Tuesday for a four-day visit to the United States. The trip is aimed at enhancing the positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship between China and the United States.