Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met on Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to exchange views on bilateral ties and other issues of mutual concerns.

On bilateral ties, Yang said that the overall relationship between China and the United States has been maintaining a favorable momentum of stable development.

The successful meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President George W. Bush held on the sidelines of the Hokkaido G8 summit in Japan earlier this month provides an important guidance for the future development of bilateral relationship, he said.

As the United States will hold presidential elections later this year and the two countries will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties between the end of this year and the beginning next year, the Chinese minister said, bilateral relationship will enter a crucial transitional period.

The Chinese side would work with the U.S. side to earnestly implement the common consensus reached between heads of state of the two countries to move forward bilateral constructive and cooperative relationship in a sound and steady manner, Yang said.

For this end, he said, both sides should always treat bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective, maintain high-level contacts, strengthen dialogues and communications, enhance mutual understanding and trust, extend interchanges and cooperation, and properly handle differences and sensitive issues.

Secretary of State Rice echoed that the Hokkaido meeting between Hu and Bush had achieved important and positive results. She said the U.S. side would continue to make joint efforts with the Chinese side to promote the development of bilateral relationship.

Minister Yang also briefed Rice on the preparatory efforts made by the Chinese government and people for the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games and expressed appreciation for the position of President Bush and the administration in supporting the Beijing Olympic Games and opposing attempts to politicize Olympic sports.