Shared interests between China and the US must be expanded, and differences properly managed, to bring relations to a new level, Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday.

China and the US have different histories, culture and are in a different stage of development, so it is only natural that both countries have some differences or friction during a time of growing cooperation, Li said at a press conference shortly after the conclusion of China’s annual legislative session.

"As long as the two countries respect each other's core interests and major concerns, properly manage their differences and engage in equal consultation, and particularly continue to expand their common interests, they will be able to further raise the level of their relationship," he said.

Describing Sino-US relations as the "relationship between the largest developing country and the largest developed country in the world", Li said President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Barack Obama have reached an important consensus about building a new model of major-country relations when they met last year in California.

"This relationship has the defined feature of non-conflict and win-win cooperation," he said.