Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and visiting US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick on Tuesday agreed that China-US relations maintained a "steady and positive" development momentum in 2005.

 

Both agreed that this accords with the common interests of both countries and has helped to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world.

 

Both parties said that the upcoming visit of President Hu Jintao to the United States is a "big event" for bilateral relations and is of great significance to the promotion of the constructive and cooperative partnership between the two countries in the new century.

 

China and the US will make joint efforts to promote dialogue, exchange and mutual trust, to properly handle relevant issues and ensure a sustained, healthy and steady development of the Sino-US relations on the basis of the three Sino-US joint communiqués.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2006)