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Sino-US ties helpful to cooperation, says Obama

By Zhang Xin (China Daily/Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-12 08:16

Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, meets with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Thursday (local time). [Xinhua]

Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo's week-long goodwill visit to the United States ended with a meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House on Thursday local time, with the two pledging more dialog and cooperation between the two countries.

During the talk, both underlined the interests and responsibilities shared between China and the United States on major international issues.

Wu, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, called for strengthened dialog and cooperation between the two countries.

He said China-US relations got off to a good start after Obama was elected and have maintained positive momentum since his inauguration.

"China is ready to work with the United States to handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective," Wu said during his talk with Obama.

Chinese observers say the Sino-US high-level exchanges this year are something never seen before and the trend of positive communications is continuing and will bear fruit.

"There are ups and downs in Sino-US relations in the past three decades. But this year has been special for the intensive political wills for dialogs and cooperation between the two nations," said Tao Wenzhao, a senior expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Shi Yinhong, an expert on international studies at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, added that the healthy US-China relationship has been indebted to the wisdom of the new Obama administration and the current world political and economical order.

China is ready to tackle the remaining issues between the two countries, intensify exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and enhance coordination on international and regional problems, Wu said.

The remaining issues to be addressed range from trade disputes to sensitive political issues.

China is willing to work with the United States to advance the development of their relationship in a "positive, cooperative, and comprehensive" manner, Wu said.

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"The two countries have also established the mechanism of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues, and witnessed strengthened cooperation in various sectors, including between the two parliaments," Wu said.

"I have been pleased to witness a series of strategic interactions and enhanced cooperation between the two countries in the past several months," Obama said, adding that a strong US-China strategic partnership is not only in the interests of the two countries but also of the world at large.

"The United States is ready to work with China to further promote US-China relations," Obama said.

Obama is scheduled to meet with President Hu Jintao during the upcoming G20 meeting and during his visit to China scheduled in November.

Obama told Wu that he is looking forward to meeting with Hu again.

Wu also met with US Vice President Joe Biden at the White House and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton before and after meeting with Obama.

Wu again stressed that China is willing to maintain a dialogue and cooperation on such issues as terrorism, non-proliferation, international crime and the nuclear situations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Iran.

On Friday, Wu also met with former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright at his hotel, both of whom Wu considers "old friends of China" for their commitment to promoting friendship between China and the US.

At the invitation of the US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Wu arrived in Washington on Tuesday.