The first day of 2009 is also the 30th anniversary of Sino-US diplomatic ties. Chinese ambassador Zhou Wenzhong has given a positive assessment of the relationship and its development.

Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong has been a diplomat since 1979, and witnessed the development of Sino-US ties.

Zhou Wenzhong, Chinaese ambassador to the United States is interviewed by journalists from Xinhua in Washington, U.S., Dec. 31, 2008. Chinese Embassy issued a press release on Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations. [Xinhua]

Zhou Wenzhong, Chinese Ambassador to US said "The two sides reached a consensus on bilateral relations. Now they make joint efforts to build constructive cooperate ties, with joint interests, and are constructive cooperators. Second, cooperation in various fields have been intensified, and the fields enlarged."

Political and economic interaction has expanded and mutual understanding deepened over the past three decades. This has enabled the two nations to reach consensus on an increasing number of issues and have more extensive cooperation. Their positions as the largest developing and developed countries make their cooperation and coordination key to solving many international and regional issues.

The development of China-US relations has not been smooth, and progress has been hard won. But after 30 years, the two sides have found a way to work things out.

Zhou Wenzhong said "The two sides agreed that when encountering differences, confrontation is not the solution, but dialogue and communication. That's why the two sides have established many pragmatic mechanisms in this respect."

China and the US now have more than 60 dialogue and consultation mechanisms. And when the new US administration led by Barack Obama takes over, Zhou expressed the hope that it will stick to the three Joint Communiques, and its policies are conducive to world peace and development. The ambassador says China will continue to strengthen cooperation with the US, and further promote a steady development of their ties.

(CCTV January 4, 2009)