Washington and Beijing should focus on the 'big picture'

As they seek to develop a new model of bilateral ties, China and the United States should lead the way on "big picture" issues rather than dwelling on minor differences, a panel of dignitaries said at the Forum on US-China Relations in Atlanta, Georgia.

They should start with climate change, said former US president Jimmy Carter, for whom the Carter Center, where the event was held on Monday, was named.

If China and the US - the world's two biggest economies and polluters - were able to harmonize their efforts to fight global warming, Europe and the rest of the world would follow, Carter said, citing conversations at a gathering of former world leaders in South Africa last month.