Carla Hills, former US trade representative, said that the two presidents are focused on making progress on global, regional and bilateral issues.

"Americans hope that by working together they will make real progress and in doing so build confidence in their respective populations," said Hills, now chairman of the National Committee on US-China Relations.

"Today President Obama and President Xi showed again the importance of an annual summit between the leaders of the world's two largest economies," US China Business Council President John Frisbie said in a statement on Friday. "The US-China Business Council is pleased that several of the business community's top priorities were a prominent part of the outcomes."

Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, said that the summit has achieved tangible, important results, especially in addressing cyber economic espionage and in advancing the climate-change agenda.

"Both presidents dealt forthrightly with some of the major differences between the US and China, and worked diligently to expand areas where meaningful cooperation was possible, as long as the two governments were determined to achieve it.

"Many critics argued that there would be no meaningful achievements during the state visit; Presidents Obama and Xi proved them wrong," he said.

"The two major countries are tapping into their respective strengths and offering more public products to the international community, which will be beneficial bilaterally and globally, said Wang Fan, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University.

"Proactive measures should be taken to address key concerns of each other, and trade issues cannot be easily politicized," Wang added.

Yuan Peng, vice-president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, noted that as the leaders meet with each other, both countries are undergoing a shift in which the US is placing more focus on Asia while China is making progress.

For the two sides to adapt to the new situation requires in-depth discussions by the top leaders, Yuan said.

Allen Carlson, professor of government at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, said it is disappointing that even more was not accomplished in cybersecurity. "But it is also promising that Washington and Beijing appear to recognize that in this realm, despite their differences, they also have some mutual interests, he said. "So, beyond the state visit, there remains an obvious need for both countries to devote more attention to working toward developing common ground.

"Perhaps, this then is an issue arena where the two sides can enhance cooperation in the years to come," Carlson said.

Contact the writer at wujiao@chinadaily.com.cn