China says ready for partnership with U.S.

HONOLULU, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- China wants to build a cooperative partnership with the United States based on mutual respect and benefit, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said.

Yang, who met with U.S. Secretary of Hillary Clinton in Honolulu ahead of the weekend Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, said the meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama would have much significance in developing China-U.S. relations, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Yang said China is ready to make concerted efforts with the United States to deepen understanding and enhance mutual trust, and to better carry out the consensus reached by Hu and Obama.

Clinton was quoted as saying the United States values its cooperative partnership with China, which is also important globally, the report said.

The two officials agreed to strive for positive outcome from the 21-member APEC summit.

After arriving in Honolulu, Hu met with a group of U.S. business leaders to discuss expansion of China-U.S. trade cooperation, Xinhua said. The report said the Chinese leader wants to encourage U.S. businesses sector to play a role in promoting bilateral ties.