WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping started talks with his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama Friday morning at the White House on bilateral ties and issues of common concern.

Before their talks, Obama held a red-carpet ceremony to welcome Xi, who arrived in Washington Thursday, the second stop of his first state visit to the United States after a busy two-and-a-half-day stay in West Coast hub Seattle.