WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Friday that US-China relations are very important, and that the United States is willing to strengthen cooperation with China to promote bilateral ties.

Trump made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in the Oval Office of the White House.

Saying his state visit to China last November was a big success, Trump agreed that the two sides should fully implement the consensus reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and himself during their meeting in Beijing.

Yang, who was on a two-day visit to Washington, also met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday.

After a year of steady development in China-US ties, boosted by successful face-to-face meetings and frequent phone conversations between Xi and Trump, bilateral relations have been facing several challenges since the end of 2017 after some worrisome moves on Washington's part.