President Xi Jinping and Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa exchanged congratulatory messages on Thursday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between their countries.

Following a recent report saying that the United States canceled Chinese scholars' visas or placed them under administrative review by the FBI, experts warned that Washington's ramping up measures to treat China as a rival could significantly harm normal bilateral exchanges and damage the country's open and inclusive national image.

China and the United States have made new progress in negotiating the text of an economic and trade deal, but much work remains to be done, the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday.