WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama says he is committed to building a comprehensive and cooperative bilateral relationship with China, the White House said.
The president gave that assurance to visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi as he joined a meeting at the White House between Yang and U.S. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, a White House news release said.
Yang and Donilon met to discuss U.S.-China relations and the preparations for the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States.
"The President joined the meeting and reaffirmed his commitment to building a bilateral relationship that is comprehensive in scope, positive in achievement, and cooperative in nature," the news release said. "The President said he looked forward to the visit of President Hu and to the U.S. and China working together effectively to address global challenges."
Donilon stressed to Yang the importance of effective efforts to reduce imbalances in both the global economy and U.S.-China trade.
"They discussed ways to advance our non-proliferation objectives, including working together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, to meet its commitments and international obligations, and to avoid destabilizing behavior," the release said.
The two officials also agreed on the importance of ensuring the referendum on southern Sudan proceeds peacefully and on time and that the results be accepted by Sudan and the international community.
