New York, Sep 23 (DPA) US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao have pledged to work closely to strengthen ties between the two countries.

The two leaders met Tuesday at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on the sidelines of the climate change summit organised by the UN in the General Assembly in New York. They represent the world's two largest economies, but their countries are also the largest emitters of carbon dioxide that is blamed for the rise in atmospheric temperatures.

Obama, who is scheduled to visit China in November, said he has committed himself to pursuing a 'genuinely cooperative and comprehensive relationship with China'.

'We need to make our relationship more dynamic and effective, given the strong number of common global and regional challenges that our countries face,' Obama said.