THE HAGUE, March 24 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama held their first meeting this year here on Monday, which the Chinese side hailed as frank and constructive.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the two-day third Nuclear Security Summit (NSS).

Qin Gang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said the two leaders spoke positively of the historic development of bilateral ties since the birth of diplomatic ties 35 years ago.

Both Xi and Obama pledged to keep up with their committment to building a new type of major-country relations, and manage their differences in a constructive manner so as to promote a sustained, sound and steady development of bilateral ties, Qin said.

Recognizing the momentum observed in bilateral trade and investment cooperation since last year, the two agreed to speed up talks over an investment pact, to oppose trade protectionism, and to maintain an open and transparent trading system, both at the regional and global levels, he said.

The two sides also agreed to support eath other's domestic reform agenda, while the United States said it is ready to level the playing field for Chinese investment, Qin added.

Also at the meeting, the two presidents agreed that their countries will continue to strengthen dialogues between the two militaries.

Both sides concurred with need to set up a mechanism to inform each other of major military moves at an early date, and draft a code of conduct to safeguard the security of the navies and air forces on the high seas.

On the fight against terrorism, Qin said the two presidents agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation.

He added that the two sides pledged to boost law-enforcement cooperation, like combating transnational crime.

The two sides also pledged to enhance their cooperation in climate change, clean engergy, and environmental protection, said the spokesman.

Meanwhile, Beijing and Washington recognized that they share important common interests in the Asia Pacific, and the two leaders pledged to enhance bilateral dialogues and coordination so as to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Moreover, the two nations are committed to promoting the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, and maintain the area's peace and stability.

The two heads of state also agreed with each other in creating conditions for an early resumption of the Six-Party talks, said Qin.

Xi and Obama agreed that the two countries share the same goal and responsibility on nuclear security, and are willing to further deepen their cooperation in such area.

The two sides pledged that they will continue to communicate and coordinate with each other within the NSS and other mechanisms to make contribution to global nuclear security and non-proliferation, said the spokesman.