President Xi Jinping has underlined the need to ensure the steady movement forward of China-US relations during his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Busan, the Republic of Korea, on Thursday.

This is the first face-to-face meeting between them since Trump assumed office in January for his second term as US president.

At the start of their talks, Xi noted that since Trump's reelection, they have spoken on the phone three times, exchanged several letters and stayed in close contact.

"Under our joint guidance, China-US relations have remained stable on the whole," Xi said.

Trump called Xi "very, very distinguished and respected" and said it is his honor "to be with a friend of mine really for a long time".

"We have already agreed to a lot of things and we will agree to some more right now," he said. "I think we are going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time."

Xi emphasized that China's development and revitalization go hand in hand with Trump's vision to "Make America Great Again".

"Our two countries are fully able to help each other succeed and prosper together. China and the US should be partners and friends. That is what history has taught us and what reality needs," Xi said.

Xi said he is ready to continue working with Trump to "build a solid foundation for China-US relations and create a sound atmosphere for the development of both countries".

Xi noted that Trump is very enthusiastic about settling various regional hotspot issues, and China has also been promoting peace talks to resolve various conflicts.

"The world today is confronted with many tough problems," Xi said. "China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries, and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world."

Last month, the two leaders held their third phone conversation this year, following the first call in January and a second in June.

Observers said the top priority now is to further implement the consensus made by the two heads of state.

Diao Daming, a professor of US studies at Renmin University of China's School of International Relations, noted that China-US ties, despite some ups and downs this year, "have maintained a generally stable status thanks to the navigating role played by the head-of-state diplomacy".

The ties have been affected by destabilizing factors such as economic and trade frictions brought by Washington's subscription to competition against China, he noted.

"The head-of-state diplomacy between the two countries has helped manage and control negative factors," he added.

At Thursday's talks, Xi noted that a few days ago, in the latest round of consultation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the economic and trade teams from the two countries "reached a basic consensus on addressing our respective major concerns", and "this provided the necessary conditions" for their meeting on Thursday.

"Given our different national conditions, we do not always see eye to eye with each other. And it is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then," he said.

"You and I are at the helm of China-US relations. In the face of winds, waves and challenges, we should stay on the right course, navigate through the complex landscape, and ensure the steady sailing forward of the giant ship of China-US relations," he told Trump.

Contact the writers at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn