China's Xi reaffirms US relations in talk with Trump

BEIJING (AP) - Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed the importance of relations with the United States in a phone conversation with President-elect Donald Trump.

State media reports say Xi congratulated Trump on his election in their Monday talk and said cooperation was the "only correct choice" for China and the U.S, the world's two biggest economies.

Trump had accused China of unfair trade practices and currency manipulation during the election campaign, threatening to slap a 45 percent tariff on all Chinese imports.

Despite that, Chinese state media largely favored Trump over his Democratic Party rival Hillary Clinton. She was disliked in Beijing over her promotion of the U.S. "pivot" to Asia that is viewed by China's leaders as an attempt to contain their country's rise to global prominence.