Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday called for further cooperation between China and the U.S. as the two countries wound up two days of economic talks with a slew of agreements in Beijing.

"I hope the two sides can make efforts to perfect the dialogue so that it can better serve the overall development of the Sino-U.S. constructive and cooperative relations," Hu told a delegation to the Third Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) headed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in Beijing Dec. 13, 2007.  [Xinhua Photo]

Hu, who initiated the dialogue with U.S. President George W. Bush in 2006, said a great deal of helpful experience have been gathered in the past three talks.

"The dialogue, together with other mechanisms, has become an important occasion for enhancing mutual strategic trust and practical cooperation," he said.

China was willing to work with the U.S., from a strategic and long-term view, to further cooperation in international and regional issues, Hu said.

"We need to respect and address major mutual concerns, consistently broaden mutual interests, and achieve new development in the constructive and cooperative relations between China and the U.S. in the new year," he said.

Paulson said the Chinese and U.S. presidents established the important principles for the economic dialogue, which had become a platform for the two sides to promote trust.

He said the U.S. side would continue to forge ahead with the dialogue with more fruitful results.

He said in a closing statement after the dialogue, "The quality of our discussions has improved over the last year, as we have come to know one another better."

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2007)