Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Beijing on November 18.

The Chinese president applauded Clinton's efforts to promote bilateral ties during his tenure in the White House. Xi also noted Clinton's cooperation with China after his retirement in areas related to poverty reduction, philanthropy, and health awareness, particularly with HIV-AIDS.

Xi said that despite its ups and downs, China's relationship with the U.S. has generally moved in the right direction and yielded fruitful results. He added that the two sides are currently enhancing cooperation in many fields, including politics, trade, ecology and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The two sides are also working together to tackle challenges in climate change and energy security.

Meanwhile, Clinton congratulated China on the success of its Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and voiced his support for China's deepening reform.

Clinton said the U.S. and China should strengthen cooperation and work to resolve global challenges together. Earlier in the week, Clinton also attended a summit on small-sized enterprises in the southern city of Guangzhou.

(CNTV.cn November 18, 2013)