NEW YORK: US President George W. Bush has accepted President Hu Jintao's invitation to visit China in November, a senior White House official said on Tuesday.

Mike Green, the US national security council director for Asian affairs, told reporters the visit would take place after the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) meeting in the Republic of Korea, but did not give specific details of Bush's schedule.

The two presidents held talks on Tuesday afternoon local time, immediately after Hu arrived in New York to attend the summit on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations.

China will jointly work with the United States to ease the trade frictions and to address bilateral trade imbalance through trade co-operation, Hu said. He said that he hopes the US side will ease its restrictions on exports to China, particularly its high-tech exports, and take corresponding active measures to enhance the trade balance between the two countries.

The Chinese president pointed out that due to the rapid and large-scale development concerning the trade ties, the emergence of some frictions and disputes are inevitable.

"A sound and steadily growing China-US relationship not only serves the interests of our two peoples, but also contributes to peace, stability and development in the world," Hu said.

"The mutually beneficial and win-win co-operation is the mainstream of our relationship," which "on the whole, has been developing quite well," he said.

Looking at crucial issues to Sino-US relations, Hu said China hopes "the United States will join the Chinese side in safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and opposing so-called 'Taiwan independence.'"

Bush said the US-China relationship is very important for the United States, and both he himself and the US Government attach great importance to it, and will strengthen consultation and co-operation in various fields with China.

On the Taiwan question, Bush said the US side understands it is a highly sensitive issue and its one-China policy will not change.

Bush also said he hoped the two countries will strengthen co-operation in the protection of intellectual property rights.

He thanked China for its important role in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and reiterated that the US side will insist on resolving the issue diplomatically through the Six-Party Talks.

In a speech delivered at the High-Level Meeting on Financing for Development at the United Nations Summit yesterday (Wednesday local time), President Hu said that China will adopt a package of measures to assist other developing countries. The measures are as follows:

China has decided to accord zero tariff treatment to certain products from all 39 less developed countries (LDCs) that have diplomatic relations with China.

China will further expand its aid programmes to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries and LDCs, working through bilateral channels, said Hu.

Within the next three years, China plans to provide US$10 billion in concessional loans and preferential export buyer's credit to developing countries.

China will also increase its assistance to developing countries, especially African countries, by providing them with anti-malaria drugs and other medicines, and help them improve medical facilities and train medical personnel.

China will help train 3,000 personnel of various professions for developing countries within the next three years so as to help these countries accelerate human resources development.

President Hu also addressed the Security Council Summit yesterday. He called for an enhanced role of the UN Security Council in responding to terrorism and other non-traditional security threats.

He also said that China stands for an enlarged Security Council based on a broad consensus and increasing representation of developing countries

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