Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met with former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, calling for closer cooperation between China and the United States.

Xi took time during the meeting to applaud Bush's attention to, and efforts in, the development of China-U.S. relations.

"Despite ups and downs, the general relationship between China and the United States has been pushing ahead over the past 40 years," Xi said, adding that bilateral ties have become the most important in the world.

The Bush family has made great contributions to promoting relations between China and the United States, "which the two nations and the two peoples will not forget," the Chinese vice president said.

Xi said that China and the United States should further their communication, coordination and cooperation under the current situation in accordance with the consensus reached by Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama, to develop the cooperative partnership between the two countries and to benefit the two peoples and the whole world.

At the beginning of last year, Hu paid a state visit to the United States, where Hu and Obama agreed to establish a partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, setting the tone for China-U.S. ties.

For his part, Bush said that he will continue making contributions to the development of bilateral ties and economic cooperation between the two nations.