The United States and China face similar energy challenges and their cooperation will serve interests of both countries, a senior US official said Friday.

The US has a long and fruitful history of engagement with China on energy related cooperation since January, 1979, and under the current administration, the US has a robust engagement with China through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, Katharine A. Fredriksen,  Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy Department said in a testimony before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

"While there are notable difference in our approaches, cooperation between our two countries will promote greater energy security in our respective countries, as well as in the world," she said at the two-day hearing which started on Thursday.

The US engagement with China takes place in many bilateral mechanisms, including the US-China Energy Policy Dialogue, the US-China Oil and Gas Industry Forum, the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Technologies Agreement, and the Joint Coordinating Committee on Science and Technology, said the official.

"The Dialogue emphasizes that the US and China share many common challenges and opportunities as the two largest energy consumers in the world and aims to promote greater cooperation to address concerns," she said.

The US actively engages with China through multilateral fora and China is an active member economy in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation's Energy Working Group, said Katharine, adding the two countries also have been working together though international science and technology initiatives.

"We plan to continue our engagement with China and work with Beijing in a collaborative fashion to advance our mutual interests," she added.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission was created in October 2000, to monitor, investigate, and submit to the Congress an annual report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and China, and to provide recommendations to the Congress for legislative and administrative action.
 
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2006)