CHINA ON WEDNESDAY SAID IT HOPED TO ACHIEVE EVEN GREATER PROGRESS IN SINO-U.S. RELATIONS IN THE NEXT 30 YEARS.

FOREIGN MINISTER YANG JIECHI MADE THE REMARKS WHILE WELCOMING VISITING U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN D. NEGROPONTE, WHO CAME TO MARK THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SINO-U.S. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.

"SINO-U.S. RELATIONS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED TWISTS AND TURNS IN THE PAST 30 YEARS, ON THE WHOLE HAVE MOVED FORWARD," YANG SAID.

BILATERAL TIES WITNESSED SMOOTH AND FRUITFUL GROWTH ESPECIALLY IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS. THIS HARD-WON PROGRESS SHOULD BE CHERISHED BY BOTH SIDES, HE NOTED

THE SOUND AND STABLE DEVELOPMENT OF SINO-U.S. RELATIONS NOT ONLY ACCORDED WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL INTERESTS OF THE TWO NATIONS AND THE TWO PEOPLES, BUT ALSO HELPED WORLD PEACE, STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT, HE NOTED.

CHINA IS READY TO WORK WITH THE UNITED STATES TO FIRMLY GRASP THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF BILATERAL CONSTRUCTIVE COOPERATION, INCREASE DIALOGUE AND DEEPEN MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND TRUST.

ECHOING YANG, NEGROPONTE SAID THE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA HAD ACHIEVED PROGRESS "ENORMOUSLY", AND REACHED A LEVEL THAT "COULD NOT HAVE BEEN IMAGINED 30 YEARS AGO".

U.S.-SINO RELATIONS WAS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE AND NEEDS CAREFUL TREATMENT, NEGROPONTE SAID, HOPING RELATIONS WOULD CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD.

THE TWO SIDES ALSO EXCHANGED VIEWS ON THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, AGREEING THEY SHOULD GIVE PRIORITY TO COOPERATION IN THIS AREA.

EARLIER ON WEDNESDAY, CHINESE VICE FOREIGN MINISTER WANG GUANGYA HELD TALKS WITH NEGROPONTE.

WANG SUGGESTED THE TWO SIDES LOOK UPON EACH OTHER WITH OBJECTIVE AND RATIONAL POINTS OF VIEW IN ORDER TO MAKE CORRECT STRATEGIC POSITIONING. HE WANTS TO MAINTAIN CLOSE, HIGH-LEVEL CONTACTS AND POSITIVE MOMENTUM DURING EXCHANGES, INHERIT AND DEVELOP THE MECHANISM OF CHINA-U.S. STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DIALOGUE (SED) AND CHINA-U.S. STRATEGIC DIALOGUE.

"THE TWO SIDES SHOULD DEEPEN AND EXPAND BILATERAL COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION IN VARIOUS FIELDS AND ENHANCE THE COORDINATION ON MAJOR INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ISSUES," SAID WANG.

CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES SHOULD PROPERLY RESOLVE DIFFERENCES AND HANDLE SENSITIVE ISSUES WITH MUTUAL RESPECT, EQUAL TREATMENT AND NON-INTERFERENCE INTO EACH OTHER'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS, WANG NOTED.

HE ALSO SUGGESTED THE TWO COUNTRIES INCREASE PEOPLE TO PEOPLE EXCHANGES SO AS TO FURTHER REINFORCE THE SOCIAL FOUNDATION OF SINO-U.S. RELATIONS.

NEGROPONTE AND WANG ALSO EXCHANGED VIEWS ON PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI CONFLICTS, THE SITUATION OF SOUTH ASIA AND AFGHANISTAN, AND THE NUCLEAR ISSUES WITH THE KOREAN PENINSULAR AND IRAN.

THE TWO COUNTERPARTS ATTENDED A FRIENDLY PING PONG GAME BETWEEN CHINESE AND U.S. ATHLETES ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TO MARK THE HISTORIC "PING PONG DIPLOMACY" WHICH TOOK PLACE OVER 37 YEARS AGO.

IN 1971, A U.S. TABLE TENNIS TEAM PAID A VISIT TO CHINA AFTER MANY YEARS OF ESTRANGEMENT AND ANTAGONISM BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES, SHOCKING THE ENTIRE WORLD AND ALSO OPENING THE DOOR FOR CHINA-U.S. PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACTS.