Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Saturday that China welcomes a constructive role of the United States in Asia Pacific, and the U.S. should also respect China's interests and concerns in the region.

Yang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of China's annual legislative session.

He said China and the United States share the most convergent interests and have the most frequent interactions in Asia Pacific.

"We welcome a constructive role of the United States in Asia Pacific, and at the same time the U.S. needs to respect China's interests and concerns in the region," he said.

Yang stressed that the regional affairs in Asia Pacific should be handled by all countries in the region through consultations.

The foreign minister also urged the United States to work with China to increase dialogue and cooperation in Asia Pacific and to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The Sino-U.S. relationship has on the whole maintained a momentum of steady development in recent years with joint efforts of both countries, he said.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and the U.S. President Obama had a successful exchange of visits and they met 12 times. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China exchanged letters with Obama after the U.S. president was reelected.

Yang reiterated at the press conference that the U.S. side, in particular, needs to properly handle Taiwan and other sensitive issues.

The Chinese foreign minister urged the United States to work with China to build a new type of major country relations between the world's two biggest economies.

"Leaders of the two countries reached agreement that China and the United States should work together to build a cooperative partnership based on mutual respects and mutual benefits and explore the establishment of a new type of relations between major countries," Yang said.

The new type of major country relationship between the two countries needs to be based on mutual respects and aimed at producing win-win results through cooperation, he said.

"This is in keeping with the trend of the world peace and development. It also meets the common anticipation of people from various respects of both countries and international community," Yang added.

"The dialogue and consultative mechanisms have been strengthened and exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of areas have made new important progress," he added.

"Over 40 years ago, the older generation of leaders of the two countries took a broad and long-term perspective and reopened the door of the Sino-US relations under extreme difficult conditions," he said.

"Today, in the 21st century, our world is confronted with many problems and challenges.

It is all the more important for China and the United States to show big vision and courage, seek common ground while shelving differences and work together to build a new type of major country relationship that is unprecedented and inspiring for the next generation and for generations to come," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2013)