Ex-envoy: Much riding on sound bilateral ties

Max Baucus said the United States and China need to settle their differences so that they can cooperate on a wide range of important issues.

"We need each other, and we need to work with each other," said Baucus, a former US ambassador to China. "The more we do, the more we prosper, the more we grow and the more people in the two countries can work on things that are important to them - jobs, food on the table, clean air, clean water and kids' education," he said.

Baucus, who served as US ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017, said his principle for bilateral relations is "being patient, positive and persistent".