Economic development and reform dialogue are essential to improving bilateral relations between China and the United States, Chinese Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan said Tuesday.

It helped the two countries further increase mutual understanding, share experience and upgrade the level of cooperation, Zeng said during a meeting Tuesday with Alan Larson, US Under-Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs, and his party.

Zeng briefed Larson on China's economic situation and the overall plan of in-depth reforms, saying that China and the United States, as influential big world powers, shared broad common interests.

He said he hoped that the two nations, from strategic perspectives and long-term considerations, actively pursued common interests and properly handled their differences.

Larson said China's fast economic growth had caught world attention, which provided many more "win-win" opportunities for the two countries.

He expressed the belief that stronger cooperation would give a new impetus to global economic growth.

Larson came to the Chinese capital for an economic development and reform dialogue Tuesday between the Chinese State Development and Reform Commission and the US State Department.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2003)