Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during the opening of the U.S.-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in Los Angeles, the United States, Feb. 17, 2012. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping here on Friday urged the United States to eliminate political factors from the economic cooperation between the two countries.

Xi made the remarks at the opening session of the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum held in Los Angeles, the last leg of his five-day official visit to the United States.

"We hope that the United States will continue to offer a fair and convenient environment for Chinese enterprises investing in America, adopt an objective and sensible approach to investment by Chinese enterprises, and make sure that political factors do not interfere with economic cooperation," said Xi.

He called on the two countries to foster a sound environment and raise the level of two-way investment.

Noting China's full implementation of its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments since its entry into the world trade body in 2001, Xi said the country has made tremendous efforts to revise laws and regulations, substantially lower the threshold for foreign investment, liberalize access to foreign trade operation and oppose protectionism in various forms.

Chinese companies, like their American counterparts, have won more international customers through hard work, innovation and fair competition, he said.

"We will promote greater opening-up of China's economy, and continue to encourage all companies in China, foreign-invested ones included, to engage in fair competition and pursue innovation in the Chinese market, so that they will not only get a bigger share of the market, but also contribute to technological progress and social development," said Xi.

On issues concerning the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Xi said IPR protection provides the incentive for innovation and China is taking steps to build a more open and transparent legal and policy environment.

China is strengthening IPR protection through a mixture of judicial and administrative means, including the establishment of a vice-premier-level coordination mechanism for IPR protection, in order to provide a safe business environment for both domestic and foreign-invested enterprises, he said.

"We hope that the United States will keep its security review of foreign investment open, fair and transparent, speed up the negotiation process on the bilateral investment agreement, and make Chinese companies feel more confident about investing in the United States," said the vice president.

Xi arrived in Los Angeles Thursday afternoon from the central state of Iowa. He started his U.S. visit in Washington D.C. on Monday as a guest of his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden.

The United States is the first leg of Xi's three-nation tour, which will also take him to Ireland and Turkey.