Beijing(Xinhua) : Chinese President Hu Jintao Thursday called for further cooperation between China and the US, as the two countries wound up their two days of economic talks here that culminated in a series of agreements.
“I hope the two sides can make efforts to perfect the dialogue so that it can better serve the overall development of the Sino-US constructive and cooperative relations,” Hu told a delegation to the 3rd Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) headed by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
Hu, who initiated the dialogue with US President George W. Bush in 2006, said a great deal of helpful experience has been gathered in the past three talks.
“The dialogue, together with other mechanisms, has become an important occasion for enhancing mutual strategic trust and practical cooperation,” he said.
China was willing to work with the US, from a strategic and long-term view, to enhance further cooperation in international and regional issues, the Chinese president said.
“We need to respect and address major mutual concerns, consistently broaden mutual interests, and achieve new development in the constructive and cooperative relations between China and the US in the new year,” he said.
Paulson said the Chinese and US presidents established the important principles for the economic dialogue, which had become a platform for the two sides to promote trust.
He said the US side would continue to forge ahead with the dialogue with more fruitful results.
He said in a closing statement after the dialogue, “The quality of our discussions has improved over the last year, as we have come to know one another better.”
Earlier a US statement released after the conclusion of the SED meet here, said, “The US and China have agreed to strengthen cooperation on construction and management of strategic oil stocks.”
“Coordinated use of strategic petroleum reserves increases energy security for oil-importing countries during times of supply disruption,” the statement said.
The announcement came as world crude prices remained high. US crude oil prices surged to $94 per barrel Wednesday in New York, the highest level in about two weeks, following news of a fall in US crude oil inventories.
Imports accounted for 66 percent of US domestic petroleum consumption last year, while the figure for China was 47 percent.