HOUSTON, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said bilateral ties between the United States and China are getting personalized.
Albright, secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, highlighted bilateral ties during a town hall-style forum in Houston sponsored by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
U.S. President Barack Obama met in June with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss bilateral concerns. Diplomatic ties have been frosty because of a U.S. military focus on the Asia-Pacific. Each side also has accused the other of cyberespionage.
Albright was quoted Monday by China's official Xinhua News Agency as saying bilateral relations are "becoming not only more regularized but also more personalized" despite some adversity.
Chinese diplomats visiting Washington in July said a new relationship with the United States should be centered on policies in the Asia-Pacific region.
Albright said both sides could find common ground "so long as we recognize our disagreements and core differences with maturity, confront our challenges directly, and have leaders on both sides that are committed to this relationship."
