The cooperation between the Unites States and China on energy issues will benefit both countries, a senior US official said on Wednesday.

"Working cooperatively with the Chinese to both develop new energy technologies and increase the energy efficiency of our economies is a worthy goal that we believe will contribute to a stable bilateral relationship," said Katharine Fredriksen, acting assistant secretary of US Energy Department in a hearing in Congress.

The United States recognizes that energy security, a sustainable environment, and economic prosperity are important for both the United States and China, she said.

An example of mutually beneficial cooperation involves China's Shenhua Group, which has developed a process that combines American, German, and Japanese technologies with its own innovations to construct a first-of-a-kind coal liquefaction plant in Erdos, China.

"Once commissioned later this year, the plant's operational experiences could contribute to US clean coal technology development. How each of us addresses these challenges will have global ramifications," she said.

"The engagement between our two countries, conducted with good will and mutual respect on both sides, allows us to identify common goals and define solutions beneficial to both countries," said the US official.

"Working together, we will both be more effective in meeting" the challenges, she added.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2008)