Jintao admits ‘a lot still needs to be done’ on human rights

Asked to justify China's human rights record, Hu said that China "made enormous progress recognised in the world". Obama said he saw China's "peaceful rise" as good for the United States.

"The US has an interest in seeing hundreds of millions of people lifted out of poverty," Obama said.

Later today, Hu is expected to travel to Chicago, where some predict he will sign a series of trade and investment agreements. The US is encouraging China to buy tens of billions of dollars of aircraft, car parts, agricultural goods and beef.

At a White House ceremony in the morning to greet Hu, Obama said the US and China would be more prosperous and secure when they worked together.

US officials revealed that a $45 billion export deal had been signed with China, including Beijing's $19 billion purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft. Obama said the deals would help create more than 200,000 jobs in the US.

Obama admitted that differences on human rights issues were "occasionally a source of tension" between the US and China.

"I believe part of justice and part of human rights is people being able to make a living and having enough to eat and having shelter and having electricity," he said.

"We just want to make sure that [its] rise occurs in a way that reinforces international norms, international rules, and enhances security and peace as opposed to it being a source of conflict either in the region or around the world."

Hu said China was willing to continue a conversation about human rights on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference in China's internal affairs.

"China is a developing country with a huge population and also a developing country in a crucial stage of reform," the Chinese president and Communist Party leader said.

Hu added that China "faces many challenges in social and economic development. A lot still needs to be done in China on human rights."