Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed on Wednesday their countries will work together to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive China-U.S. relationship for the 21st century.

The two leaders also decided to establish the mechanism of bilateral Strategic and Economic Dialogues.

The new commitment, made by the two heads of state during their meeting in London, will chart course for and give a strong boost to the sustained, sound and steady development of China-U.S. relations.

China-U.S. relations remain one of the world's most important bilateral relationships in the 21st century, when mankind faces tremendous opportunities and challenges. In the new era, the two countries shoulder important responsibilities for world peace, stability and development and they also share broad common interests.

Looking to the future and with a view to further advancing China-U.S. relations in the 21st century, both sides should keep pace with the times and always handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective. They should respect and take into consideration each other's core interests, and seize the opportunities and work together to meet the challenges in the century.

As a report entitled the "Smart Power in U.S.-China Relations" issued by of the Center for Strategic and International Studies put it, the "U.S.-China partnership is indispensable for addressing many of the main challenges of the twenty-first century."

"The premise for U.S.-China relations going forward must be a shared commitment to working together to promote the global good," said the U.S. think tank's commission on China.

The new commitment paints a positive picture of future cooperation between the two countries.

Since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979, the China-U.S. relationship has moved from antagonism and estrangement in the past to today's responsible stakeholders as well as constructive partners. The hard-earned cooperative ties should be cherished with redoubled efforts.

In the past 70 days since the new U.S. administration took office, thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, a smooth transition of bilateral relations has been achieved.

China attaches great significance to its relations with the United States, while the United States has expressed its commitment to a stronger relationship with China.

In the new era, both sides should treat each other from a positive perspective and promote dialogues and cooperation in various fields with positive actions.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said: "the United States will remain committed to pursuing a positive relationship with China, one that we believe is essential to America's future peace, progress, and prosperity."

Both sides have recently paid high tribute to the wisdom of a Chinese aphorism which says: "When you are in a common boat, you need to cross the river peacefully together," stressing the vital importance of cooperation.

Secretary of State Clinton has quoted another Chinese proverb which goes: "you should dig a well before you are thirsty," pointing to the urgent need for the two countries to work together.

The establishment of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues mechanism is an important step to further advance their bilateral relations. With that, the previous strategic dialogue between the two countries has been upgraded to a new level. The two sides will continue their discussions on strategic and long-term issues of mutual interest and issues of overall significance in efforts to further enhance mutual trust and cooperation.

At a time when the international financial crisis continues to spread, it is in the primary common interests of China and the United States that the two countries support each other and work together to ride out the storm.

The two countries should make due contributions to bringing about a new round of global economic growth. Even when the world's economic train one day arrives at a fairly flat section of its path during its long journey, it will invariably need the powerful engines of China and the United States which will work in tandem to push it forward without a hitch and on a sustainable basis.

Meanwhile, comprehensive cooperation in the global sphere binds the two countries together.

China and the United States should not only enhance exchange and cooperation in such fields as economy, the fight against terrorism, proliferation and transnational crimes, climate change, energy and the environment, but also strengthen communication and coordination on regional and global issues.

One can hardly find an area where China-U.S. cooperation is considered dispensable.

The new commitment holds out promising prospects.

It requires China and the United States to work together in an all-round way to raise their bilateral relationship to a new and much higher level of cooperation in the 21st century under the principles of mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and cooperation for win-win results.

It also requires China and the United States to respect and take care of each other's core interests and make every effort to minimize potential disruption and damage to their bilateral ties, as the two countries join hands and work together for a splendid future of China-U.S. relations.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2009)