Chinese President Hu Jintao winds up a four-day visit to the United States on Friday with a speech at Yale University after a stop in Washington that failed to produce any major breakthroughs on an array of economic and security issues.
Hu sat down with US President George W. Bush on Thursday for what both sides described as constructive talks despite a lack of movement in differences over the Chinese currency or on how to resolve nuclear disputes with Iran and North Korea.
In a dinner speech to the US Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, Hu acknowledged "differences and even frictions" in US-China relations. But the Chinese leader said he and Bush agreed to take steps to move forward to a more constructive and co-operative relationship.
"I certainly look forward to a future China-US relationship that is more stable, more mature and developed on a sounder track," Hu said in a question-and-answer session after his speech.
Earlier on Thursday, the Chinese leader was welcomed to the White House in an elaborate South Lawn ceremony complete with full military honours and a 21-gun salute. But the ceremony was marred by a woman who heckled Hu.
"President Bush, make him stop persecuting Falun Gong," she shouted, referring to the spiritual meditation movement that is banned in China.
Hu appeared visibly flustered. Bush encouraged him to continue speaking and later apologised for the interruption, which caused a diplomatic stir.
The woman, identified as Wang Wenyi, a reporter with The Epoch Times, was taken away by uniformed Secret Service officers and charged with disorderly conduct.
The Epoch Times, an English-language publication strongly supportive of Falun Gong, said in a statement that Wang's actions were her own.
Hu's visit was also dogged by hundreds of protesters ranging from Falun Gong disciples to Taiwanese nationalists waving green flags and Tibetan youth groups who held a noisy demonstration near the White House.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Bush and Hu said their relationship had matured and they could discuss differences openly. But Bush failed to win a commitment from Hu on immediate steps to reduce China's $202 billion trade surplus with the United States.
Hu said China would continue to improve the yuan's exchange rate, although he gave no specifics.
Washington has demanded a dramatic revaluation of the yuan as a way to make US products more competitive in Chinese and global markets and reduce the trade imbalance.
Hu said China would work with the United States on the nuclear disputes with Iran and North Korea but urged a peaceful resolution through diplomacy.
Hu caps his US visit with a speech to students at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale's link to China goes back more than a century, when the first Chinese student to study in the United States attended the university.