TALK ON HOTSPOTS: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) meets with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (left) in Beijing on April 13 (CFP)

In a speech at the Tokyo Institute of Technology after leaving Beijing for a visit to Japan, Kerry called on the United States and its allies to work with China to confront regional security challenges, combat environmental degradation and stimulate economic growth.

He stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation with China to deal with an array of regional issues. "We have had more high-level engagement and dialogue with China than ever before, and enjoy unprecedented people-to-people ties," the top U.S. diplomat said. "Imagine how different today's challenges can look tomorrow—from job growth to climate change to pandemic disease to the proliferation of dangerous weapons—with all of us acting as full and constructive partners."

Concrete achievements

During Kerry's brief stay in Beijing, the two countries agreed to set up a joint working group on cyber security under the framework of the Sino-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).

"Cyber security affects everybody, so we are going to work immediately on an accelerated basis on cyber issues," said Kerry in the media briefing in Beijing.

Over the past several months, bilateral relations had been strained by U.S. hacking accusations against China. Analysts said the latest agreement aimed to calm the dispute.

The two countries also issued a joint statement on climate change, committing to advancing cooperation in technology, research, conservation, and alternative and renewable energy to meet the climate change challenge. Meanwhile, the joint statement announced plans to initiate a climate-change working group in anticipation of the 2013 S&ED slated to be held in the United States in July.

"Cyber security, clear energy and climate change are all hot topics in Sino-U.S. relations as well as global issues. There is large space for cooperation between the two countries in these fields. Clear energy and climate change could also become new areas of growth in bilateral economic cooperation," said Jia of the CIIS.

"Moreover, cooperation on these specific issues could enhance mutual trust for building a new type of relations," Jia added.

On the economic front, Premier Li called on the United States during talks with Kerry to loosen restrictions on hi-tech exports to China, a move that Chinese observers believe will further promote the bilateral economic ties.

The economic relationship is the stabilizer of Sino-U.S. relations, said Jia, noting that China's spectacular economic growth is of great benefit to the U.S. economy, providing sizable economic interests and more jobs.

At present, China and the United States are each other's second largest trading partners. China is the fastest growing export market for the United States. And the potential bilateral trade capacity remains huge.

Kerry welcomed Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in the United States. He said the United States has a large demand in infrastructure construction such as the traffic and energy sectors, which are all very profitable.

Meanwhile, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to addressing ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Kerry said China and the United States are committed to finding a peaceful solution. China takes denuclearization on the peninsula very seriously, he added.

Shi of the Renmin University of China said while China and the United States have reached consensus on various issues, what is most important is implementing their agreements.

"China and the United States have made many positive statements. But when it comes to the specific issues and major interests of the two countries, how to deal with them becomes very complicated," Shi said.

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