Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told a Washington thinktank that China and the United States face a new historic opportunity for the development of strategic relationship. He said the two countries have successfully worked together to ensure smooth transition of Sino-American ties since the new US administration took office. From Washington, our correspondent Shan Shan reports:

Ann: During the 5-day working visit starting Monday, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with US President Barack Obama, vice president Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Security Advisor James Jones. He also made a speech at a welcoming reception jointly held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the US-China Business Council.

Speaking to representatives from the US political, business and academic circles, Yang Jiechi says China is happy to see that in the past 50 days since the new US administration took office, both China and the US have worked together and ensured a smooth transition of the bilateral relations.

Yang Jiechi says in two weeks time, Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Obama will meet in London for the G20 Summit. Both sides have been working hard to ensure it a success.

"It will be the first meeting between our heads of state since the new US administration came into office. Both sides attach great important to this meeting and are making intensive preparations for it. I'm confident that with joint efforts of the two sides, the meeting will be a great success and chart the course for the future growth of China-US relations. President Hu Jintao has invited President Obama to visit China at a mutually convenient time and we look forward to his early visit."

The Foreign Minister says China wants to work with the US and other countries for positive outcomes at the London G20 summit on the basis of the achievements of last year's Washington summit. He stresses that it's high on the agenda of the China-US relations to jointly tackle the world financial crisis.

"The priority for China and the US at the moment is to tackle the international financial crisis through intensified cooperation and work together to maintain and promote world financial and economic stability. In times of hardships, it is all the more important for China and the US to broaden and deepen bilateral trade and economic cooperation, properly handle possible frictions and differences and forge a stronger bond to weather the crisis."

Former US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, now a senior counselor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the time for the US and China to foster an all-round relationship has come.

"The moment is ripe in our relationship to really develop deliberately, and in a formal fashion, not just a relationship in terms of finance and economics, but in the broader and wider geopolitical sense of the work, the whole range of complex issues that affect the world in general and both of our countries in particular".

Yang Jiechi says both countries should set sight on the longer term and draw up a good blueprint for bilateral relations in the coming years. China and the US should and can set an example in achieving win-win progress and making greater joint efforts for an even better world.

SS, CRI news, Washington.