Nations vow to keep ties on track

China, US aim to cleanse lingering wounds with high-level dialogue

Beginning a new round of high-level talks, Beijing and Washington vowed on Wednesday they would not allow areas of disagreement to overshadow their relationship, which is critical to global prosperity.

Both countries expressed confidence that careful management of any differences would prevent escalating tension and that healthy competition, not confrontation, was the way forward. Observers said the dialogue would serve as a "disinfectant" to help cleanse wounds inflicted in a series of disputes.