China and the United States should expand cooperation and constructively manage discrepancies, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on a visit to the US.

Wang made the comments during a joint news conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Tuesday.

Wang said the relationship between the two countries is complex and hard to fit into a simple definition, and that missed opportunities for cooperation may turn into discrepancies, while well-handled discrepancies may turn into highlights of cooperation.

He said that China's interests and US interests have blended into each other, and the two countries need to coordinate and take part together in addressing issues such as non-proliferation, climate change, Middle East peace and the development of Africa.

He said common interests shared by both countries will only expand, and the two, rather than focusing just on things they will ask each other to do, should think more about things they can do together.

Speaking of discrepancies between the largest developed country and the largest developing country, Wang said both should face up to the contradictions, eliminate misunderstandings and misjudgments through effective communication, and manage discrepancies in a constructive manner, to prevent small problems from turning into major ones.

He also suggested the two countries continue to handle and advance the relationship with a long-term and strategic vision.