Conflict between US and China would lead to `disaster`: Xi

New York: Chinese President Xi Jinping called Tuesday for better relations with the United States, warning that conflict between the two could have a disastrous outcome.

In a keynote speech on the first day of his state visit to the United States, he stressed a need for more cooperation and understanding of each other`s "strategic intentions" as central to a "major country relationship."

"We want to see more understanding and trust and less estrangement and suspicion," he told an audience of mostly businessmen.

"Should they enter into conflict and confrontation, it would lead to disaster for both countries and the world at large," he said.