Chinese President Hu Jintao met his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii, Saturday to discuss Sino-U.S.ties and major world and regional issues.

Chinese President Hu Jintao meets with U.S. President Barack Obama in Honolulu, Hawaii, Saturday to discuss Sino-U.S. ties and major world and regional issues.

The two presidents were meeting before the Economic Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Hawaii.

President Hu said he is very happy to be in Hawaii for the APEC forum and meet his U.S. counterpart, noting that it is their 9th meeting since President Obama took office.

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Hu said with complex changes in the global situation, uncertainties in world economy, and extruding regional security issues, it is very important for China and the United States to strengthen communication and coordination under such circumstances.

China expects to maintain dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. side to properly handle sensitive issues based on mutual respect so as to further advance Sino-U.S. relations, the Chinese president said.

Hu said the Asia-Pacific region is so far the most dynamic area in the world with huge development potential, and it should become the focus of China-U.S. cooperation, he said.

The Chinese president expressed his wish for a successful outcome of this year's APEC forum, and said he hoped it will send a signal to the international community that the whole Asia-Pacific region is upholding the "all-in-the-same-boat" spirit and can achieve economic growth.

For his part, President Obama said the meeting with President Hu "will be the first extensive discussion we have since a very successful state visit by President Hu to Washington."

"As two of the world's largest countries and largest economies, cooperation between the United States and China is vital not only to the security and prosperity of our people, but is also vital to the world," he said.

Obama said countries in the Asia-Pacific region look to a constructive relationship between the United States and China as a basis for continuous growth and prosperity.

"Although there are areas where we continue to have differences, I'm confident that the U.S.-China relationship can continue to grow in a constructive way based on mutual respect and mutual interests," said the U.S. president.

Earlier this month, Hu and Obama met in Cannes, France, on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Twenty (G20) and exchanged views on bilateral ties and the G20 summit.