UPDATE 2 - China's president tells California governor hard-won relations with US should be cherished

REVISES HEADLINE, ADDS STATEMENT BY XI DURING HIS MEETING WITH CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s president said Wednesday that relations with the US are "hard-won and should be cherished" in what appeared to be a sign of a warming tone in Beijing ahead of a possible summit next month between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden.

Xi made the comments during a meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom in Beijing.

"The interests of the two countries are closely entwined," Xi told Newsom, who is on a week-long trip to China.

The Chinese leader said Beijing's US policy remains "one of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation."

The meeting came ahead of Xi's possible trip to the US next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. If the trip materializes, Xi and Biden may meet for a summit in San Francisco, which would be their second since last November, when they met in Indonesia.

"China will continue working in this direction and hopes that the US will meet China half way," Xi said as he spoke of the significance of the relations between their two countries, whose combined GDP is one third of the world total.

Ahead of the meeting with Xi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi also hosted the governor of California, which would be in the world's top five economies if it were a country.

Wang is flying to Washington for a three-day official trip beginning Thursday as the two sides continue efforts to stabilize relations.

Xi sent a similar message to the gala dinner of the National Committee on US-China Relations held in New York on Tuesday.

Beijing is "ready to work with the US to make mutual progress," he said.

"China is willing to adhere to the three principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with the United States, properly manage differences, and work together to respond to global challenges, achieve mutual success and common prosperity, and benefit both countries and the world," Xi added.