China seeks a win-win partnership featuring equality and mutual trust with the United States, as the two countries' interests are deeply correlated in the era of globalization, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said.

"Relations between China and the United States should be cooperative and win-win and not a zero-sum game," Yang said in an interview in Beijing Friday.

Applauding the two countries' consensus to build a positive, cooperative and comprehensive bilateral relationship in the 21st century, Yang said China and the U.S. should boost mutual understanding and learn to trust and respect one another.

Mutual understanding is the basis for cooperation and a precondition for avoiding misjudgments, Yang said, adding that China's peaceful development is not only in the interests of the Chinese people but also for the whole world.

To strengthen mutual trust, the two sides should learn to respect each other's core concerns and eliminate outdated ways of thinking, said the foreign minister.

China adheres to peaceful development and the opening-up strategy that highlights mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Yang said.

China and the United States should respect each other's social system and cultural tradition, and realize that the two countries are at different stages of social development, Yang said.

The two countries should properly handle frictions and disputes through dialogue on equal footing, he said.

Yang said the bilateral ties have not been without any dispute but "generally, the Chinese-U.S. relations have grown at a steady pace."

"We urge the U.S. side to abide by the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and the U.S.-China Joint Statement. We also urge the U.S. to respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to not interfere in China's internal affairs," he said.

Yang also said China and the United States should improve cooperation to boost their economy and benefit the two peoples.

"Protectionism, trade wars and currency wars will only be detrimental to both sides and cause trouble for bilateral ties," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2010)