Nov 15 to 18 are three usually unremarkable days on the calendar but this year they attracted worldwide attention as US President Barack Obama paid his first state visit to China.

Obama arrived in China at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao with the international focus on how the two countries would address a raft of global issues. When he left, analysts saw a new direction for developing the China-US relationship, which had major significance, and believed the summit had rendered bilateral relations stronger.

Hu and Obama reiterated in the China-US Joint Statement that both sides were committed to building a "positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship in the 21st century" and promised to take concrete action to build a partnership to jointly cope with common challenges.

A new goal, attractive wording

In the press conference at the Great Hall of People, Hu said he and Obama were positive about the development of the China-US relationship since the inauguration of the new US administration 11 months ago, and they agreed to strengthen dialogue, communication and cooperation from a strategic and far-sighted perspective, and to make joint efforts to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive China-US relationship to promote world peace, stability and prosperity.

Obama said the partnership with China had helped his country to fight the most serious financial crisis seen in generations.

He added that the China-US relationship had never been more important to the common future of the two countries. Challenges like climate change, nuclear proliferation, or economic recovery could never be met with a single hand.

"That's why the United States welcomes China's efforts in playing a greater role on the world stage, a role in which a growing economy is joined by growing responsibilities."

Jin Canrong, deputy dean of the International Studies School at China's Renmin University, told Xinhua the new goal for the China-US relationship was to build a partnership to jointly cope with common challenges that was quite positive and significant.

Fu Mengzi, director of the Institute of American Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told Xinhua the partnership to combat common challenges had positive and new meanings.

David Shambaugh, a George Washington University professor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the outcome of the summit "reflects the 30 years of hard work in building the relationship, as well as the growing strategic trust between the two sides."

He said both sides were actively committed to develop a "positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship in the 21st century," and a joint statement issued after the meeting between the two presidents may help take China-US relations into a "totally new and positive era“.

Facing global challenges together

As one of the topics of the meeting between Hu and Obama, facing global challenges together has obtained great attention.

Fu said the challenges not only included those related to both parties, but also those concerned with global interests.

The China-US Joint Statement stressed that, with global challenges increasing, the interdependence of all countries in the world had deepened and their need for peace, development and cooperation had increased.