**Chinese President Hu Jintao has said at a joint news conference with US President Barack Obama that their two countries must shun protectionism.**President Hu said the two sides would “continue to have consultations on an equal footing to properly resolve economic and trade frictions”.
He made the comments after a summit with Mr Obama at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Climate change and North Korea also played a major role in the talks.
Before Tuesday’s closed-door meeting began, Mr Obama - continuing his first tour of Asia - said: “We believe strong dialogue is important not only for the US and China, but for the rest of the world.”
Mr Hu said: “I look forward to having an in-depth relationship.”
OBAMA ASIA TOUR
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- Friday 13: Arrived in Japan
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- Saturday 14: Joined Apec summit in Singapore
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- Sunday 15: Had talks with Russia’s President Medvedev before leaving for China
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- Tuesday 17: Summit in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao
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- Wednesday 18: Ends tour in South Korea
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Later in the day, Mr Obama is due to meet the chairman of the parliament, Wu Banguo, and there will be a state banquet at the Great Hall.
The US leader, who is not being accompanied by his family on the tour, is also fitting in visits to the Forbidden City and the American embassy.
He arrived by plane in the capital from Shanghai where he had addressed Chinese students, telling them that individual rights and freedoms should be available to all.
Mr Obama had told his audience that he was a “big supporter of non-censorship”, and that unrestricted internet access was a “source of strength” that should be encouraged.
Communist China employs some of the tightest controls over internet content in the world.
Greeting his American guest in Beijing on Monday, President Hu noted Mr Obama’s meeting with the students, calling it “quite lively”.
Mr Obama smiled broadly as his host spoke, then told Mr Hu that the world recognised “the importance of the US-Chinese relationship” in tackling global problems.
During the two leaders’ dinner, conversation centred upon the respective histories of the two countries, and both men outlined the economic challenges their states face.
They swapped ideas about the significance education plays in the advancement of their people, the Associated Press news agency reported
Mr Obama visited Japan and Singapore earlier and is scheduled to fly to South Korea after leaving China on Wednesday.