Interview: Xi-Obama summit important: Austrian official

It is important that the Chinese and U.S. leaders talk intensively in terms of enhancing mutual understanding, solving differences, as well as bringing more peace initiatives to the world, a senior Austrian official said Wednesday.

During his state visit to the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, agreed to enhance economic cooperation and reiterated their commitment to maintaining strong bilateral ties in favor of world peace, stability and security.

Various disputes around the world which also involve the major countries can be overcome as long as all parties believe that "harmony and balance" are fundamentals for stability, Harald Mahrer, Austrian State Secretary for the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy, told Xinhua.

The leaders of China and the United States should, in the interests of achieving such fundamentals, strive to establish a system that allows these problems to be resolved quickly, Mahrer said.

He indicated that an "either ... or" mentality should be avoided, such as "either China or the U.S.A." or "either the U.S.A. or Russia."

"There is a lot of room for much cooperation and teamwork," he said.

Besides bilateral issues, the two leaders should initiate more concrete programs and projects in regions such as South America, Africa, and the Middle East, to bring more peace, Mahrer said.

"Greater peace means stability, and stability means an economic upturn, and an economic upturn means greater prosperity." Endi