Senior Chinese and U.S. officials vowed here Wednesday to boost cooperation in law enforcement and make joint efforts to improve bilateral ties.

The pledge came when Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with visiting U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Holder is the highest-ranking U.S. judical official to visit China since U.S. President Barack Obama took office in 2009.

A sound relationship between China and the United States is not only in the interests of the two nations' peoples but also conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large, said Zhou, who is also secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee with the CPC Central Committee.

"We hope the United States will honor its commitments and think of and handle bilateral relations from a long-term and strategic perspective. We also hope the U.S. will respect China's sovereignty and dignity and not do anything that hurts the overall China-U.S. relationship," said the Chinese official.

Zhou said China is serious about cooperation with the U.S. and hopes to make joint efforts to hunt down fugitive suspects, and fight terrorism, drug abuse and intellectual property rights violations.

Holder said the United States attaches importance to U.S.-China relations and hopes to find common ground with China while putting aside differences.

The U.S. Department of Justice hopes to be a good partner of its Chinese counterpart, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2010)