China and the United States concluded the second round of strategic talks Thursday in Washington, acknowledging their increasing common interests and vowing to further cooperation.

During the two-day meeting, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick focused their discussions on international situation, bilateral relations as well as major world and regional issues of common concern, according to sources from the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

The talks were conducted in a strategic context with candid, thorough and constructive exchange of views and were believed to have further forwarded mutual understanding and consensus building.

The Chinese side explained China's peaceful development strategy and clarified the position that China develops in a way responsible for both the Chinese people and the world and the development will benefit the Chinese people and the world.

The US side agreed with the Chinese position.

Both sides believed that in the new international environment, it is important for both countries to regard and understand each other in a constructive way.

They also acknowledged the expansion of common interests and areas of cooperation and agreed that the Sino-US relationship is more than a bilateral one.

Both sides should consider and handle their relationship strategically with a long-term perspective and should always keep in mind the mainstream of the bilateral relationship and common interests, they said.

They also agreed that the two countries should materialize the important consensus reached by Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush at their September meeting in New York and during Bush's visit to China last month, by enhancing mutual understanding, expanding areas of consensus, deepening mutual trust, advancing cooperation, and handling their differences carefully, in order to move forward the 21st century Sino-US relationship of constructive cooperation in an all-around way.

Both sides believed that the strategic talks between the two countries will bring benefit and help increase mutual trust, and tentatively agreed to hold the next round of talks in the first half of 2006.

During the talks, Dai also met with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

Source: Xinhua