习近平李克强分别会见美国务卿克里

President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang have held separate talks with US Secretary of state John Kerry in Beijing. Mr. Kerry arrived in the Chinese capital on Friday. The talks centered on initiating a "new relationship model" between China and the US, as well as regional security issues. Kerry also met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, to discuss ways of forging better ties in 2014.

Meeting on the last day of China’s traditional Spring Festival, president Xi Jinping told US Secretary of State John Kerry that China is committed to building a new model of big power relations with the US.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2014. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

In hopes of building on the momentum made last year, President Xi Jinping said China and the US should also strengthen dialogue, coordination and cooperation in major international and regional issues.

For his part, Secretary Kerry described the meeting as "constructive and positive."

"I am glad we had an opportunity to dig into the detail of some of the North Korea (DPRK) challenges, and I appreciated the willingness to move forward on cooperation of climate change." said John Kerry, US Secretary of State.

In his meeting with John Kerry, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for more bilateral cooperation on energy. The Premier wants the US to increase direct exports of liquid gas. And he wants China to be more involved in joint exploration for shale gas.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 14, 2014. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held talks with John Kerry. He said the two countries should build their new type of relationship in a practical way, characterized by no conflicts, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

"We need to accumulate and unleash the positive energy of the relationship and promote it towards continuous progress on the right track." said Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister.

Apart from bilateral relations, Kerry said he would also cover issues like the Korean Peninsula, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran. Delegates at the meeting included those charged with policies covering East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

"We hope that 2014 will be a year of concrete progress in defining the new modern relationship, managing our differences effectively and finding a way to cooperate practically where ever possible." said John Kerry, US Secretary of State.