Shelving stereotypes a must for cooperation

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton wrapped up a two-day visit to China on the weekend. During her debut trip to China in her new role, she met with President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

President Hu pointed out during his meeting with Clinton at the Great Hall of the People that, as two influential powers sharing common interests on a series of issues relevant to world peace and development, China and the United States should undertake larger international responsibilities. Echoing the Chinese president's remarks, the former first lady believed the two countries have opened a new era for bilateral cooperation. She also reiterated US wishes to further cooperate with the Chinese side on various fields as the two countries, she said, are enjoying shared interests in numerous fields and on a number of global and regional issues.

In fact, the US has increasingly considered China as its global cooperative partner in international affairs. Such recognition is much different to its attitude toward the emerging Asian nation in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War. At that time, prestigious US politician Zbigniew Brzezinski defined Japan and China as global and regional powers respectively. With two decades of development, China is already inseparable from the world's economy, and together with the US, is considered a locomotive of the global economy.