President Xi promotes world economic growth, intl co-op

On Friday, Xi and his US counterpart, Barack Obama, exchanged views on bilateral ties and other issues of common concern.

On the Syria crisis, the Chinese president said a political solution is the only right way out for the current situation, and a military strike cannot solve the problem from the root. He called on certain countries to have a second thought before action.

Obama told Xi about the US position on the Syria crisis, saying that he is willing to keep communication with the Chinese side on the issue.

The two leaders also hailed the sound development momentum for the China-US relations, vowing to strengthen ties and step up cooperation in economy, energy, environment and other fields.

During his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Xi praised the smooth development of China-Germany relations, urging both sides to promote high-level exchanges and intergovernmental dialogues, so as to enhance strategic mutual trust for a constant advancement of bilateral cooperation.

For her part, Merkel said Germany attaches great importance to the Chinese economy, adding that China's sustained development benefits Germany as well.

In separate meetings with leaders of Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, Xi reached new and important consensus with them to enhance mutual trust and deepen cooperation.

Also on Thursday, the Chinese president encountered Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the VIP room for participating leaders. During their brief talk, Xi pointed out that China-Japan ties are facing grave difficulties, and urged Japan to correctly deal with such sensitive issues as the Diaoyu Islands and history.

Xi arrived in St. Petersburg on Wednesday after concluding his visit to Turkmenistan, the first stop of his ongoing overseas trip, which also includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

In Kyrgyzstan, he will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.