SUNNYLANDS, United States - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Barack Obama, agreed on Friday to build a new type of relations between China and the United States which could avoid the traditional path of confrontations and conflicts between major countries.

The two leaders made the commitment at a joint press conference following their first face-to-face meeting at Sunnylands, a 200-acre (81-hectare) Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage, California.

Xi said he had an in-depth, sincere and candid discussion and reached important consensus with Obama on the domestic and foreign policies of China and the United States, the construction of a new type of relations between major countries, and international and regional issues of common concern.

"I stated very clearly to Obama that China will be firmly committed to the path of peaceful development and will unswervingly deepen reform and open up the country," Xi said, adding that China will work hard to realize the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation and to promote the noble cause of peace and development for mankind.

"By the Chinese dream, we seek to have economic prosperity, national renewal and people's well-beings. The Chinese dream is about peace, development, cooperation and win-win results, and it is connected to the American dream and beautiful dreams of people in other countries," the Chinese president said.

He said Obama and he believed that as the economic globalization develops rapidly and all countries need to sail in the same boat when faced with difficulties, China and the United States should find a new type of relationship between major countries that is different from the past one featuring inevitable confrontation and conflicts.

Both sides agreed to expand all levels of dialogues and communications and keep increasing mutual understanding and trust, Xi said. "I look forward to maintaining close exchanges with Obama through mutual visits, bilateral meetings, exchange of phone calls and letters."

"I invite Obama to come to China at a proper time for a similar meeting like this and we will exchange visits as early as possible," Xi said.

The two sides will closely cooperate to ensure positive outcomes at a new round of the strategic and economic dialogue, people-to-people exchanges and high-level consultations between China and the United States, the Chinese president said.

Chinese Minister of National Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs will also visit the United States at invitations, he added.

The two sides agreed to step up cooperation in extensive fields of economy and trade, energy, environment, people-to-people and cultural exchanges as well as local level exchanges, in order to deepen the shared interests of the two countries and expand them to all areas, Xi said.

"We should also improve and strengthen the military-to-military relationship between the two countries and promote the building of the new model of military relationship between the two sides," he said.

"We should also improve coordination on macro-economic policies, strengthen cooperation which can contribute to our respective development, and promote strong, sustainable and balanced economic growth in the Asia Pacific region and the world at large," Xi said.