Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Sunday urged the United States to make joint efforts with China to promote a sound bilateral relationship.

"A sound China-US relationship is not only in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples of the two countries, it is also conducive to the peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large," Yang told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

"China has always attached importance to its relationship with the United States, and we have always been committed to promoting the positive, cooperative and comprehensive China-US relationship," he said.

"We hope that the United States will work with us in a joint effort toward this end," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2010)