Nothing preventing friendly cooperation, vice-president says

NEW YORK / BRUSSELS - There are no reasons why China and the United States cannot engage in friendly cooperation, Vice-President Xi Jinping said.

Xi was speaking prior to his departure for the US on Monday.

In a written interview with the Washington Post, published online on Sunday night, Xi emphasized the importance and benefits of cooperation and respect.

"Mutual benefit is the defining feature of China-US business ties," Xi said.

"As economic globalization gathers momentum, China and the US have become highly interdependent economically. Such economic relations would not enjoy sustained, rapid growth if they were not based on mutual benefit or if they failed to deliver great benefits to the US. The Americans who know the real picture of China-US economic relations, including those in the business community, will echo this point," Xi said.

The visit will lead to better understanding between the countries, said David Fouquet, a specialist on EU-Asia relations with the European Institute for Asian Studies in Brussels.

The visit, it is hoped, will see relations soar above the rhetoric that accompanies a US election year, he said.

Friction and differences are hardly avoidable in bilateral economic and trade interactions, Xi said. But "we must not allow friction and differences to undermine the larger interests of our business cooperation".

A businessman talks with a Chinese exhibitor at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January last year. Zhang Jun / Xinhua