President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua on Wednesday held talks here with Daisy Veerasingham, president and CEO of the Associated Press (AP).

The AP is an important partner of Xinhua, and the two sides have maintained an amicable relationship for a long time, said Fu, who leads a delegation in the United States.

Fu expressed the hope that the two sides further extend cooperation in news and information services, strengthen exchanges on the application of new technologies in the media industry, and deepen cooperation under multilateral mechanisms.

The AP and Xinhua have a relationship going back over 50 years, and it has stood the test of time, said Veerasingham.

"We have seen many changes in the world, but I think the relationship that the two organizations have forged together for so long is a really important indicator for how we can strengthen our relationship in the years ahead," said Veerasingham.

The two sides exchanged signed copy of their cooperation agreement on the distribution of photos, videos and press releases, and also discussed challenges and opportunities like the utilization of artificial intelligence and the coverage of Olympic Games.