Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan said on Monday that the new mechanism jointly launched by Chinese President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart Barack Obama in April will be a major step to promote China-US relationship.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington, the United States, on July 27, 2009.  [Xinhua]

Addressing the opening session of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), Wang said President Hu has attached great importance to the first round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Wang read Hu's congratulatory letter to the opening session of the dialogue.

In his message to the opening session, Hu said that China and the United States shoulder important responsibilities on a host of major issues concerning peace and development of mankind.

In the face of the complex and changing international economic and political situation, Hu said that China and the United States should endeavor to expand common ground, reduce differences, enhance mutual trust and strengthen cooperation through strategic and economic dialogue.

"This serves the common interest of the two sides and will help advance the positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship between our two countries," said the Chinese leader.

"It is also of great importance for peace, stability, development and prosperity of the whole world," he added.

"I am confident that with the concerted efforts of both teams, the S&ED mechanism will keep improving and growing and inject new dynamism and make new contribution to our mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas and to the growth of our positive, cooperative and comprehensive relationship," said Hu.

The Chinese vice premier said that he was glad to join Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, special representative of Hu, to co-chair the high-level talks with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

"We should make full use of the dialogue platform, build consensus, strengthen mutual trust, expand convergence of interests, and work to achieve mutually beneficial results," Wang said.

"During the economic dialogue, under the theme of building confidence to restore economic growth, strengthening China-US economic cooperation, China and the United States will have intensive dialogue on making further efforts to tackle the international economic crisis, building a strong financial system, deepening trade and investment cooperation, and promoting sustainable economic development.

"A more open and more dynamic Chinese economy will bring opportunities to all countries in the world, including the United States.

"With the furthering of China's reform and opening up, China and the United States will have even closer economic cooperation and trade relations, and China-US relationship will surely keep moving forward at a new starting point," Wang said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2009)