BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi delivered a speech from Beijing to the Conference on China-US Relations in Washington by video link on Wednesday, calling on the two nations to further their ties.

"Forty years ago, President Nixon paid a historic visit to China, during which our two countries issued the epoch-making Shanghai Communique," Yang said, noting that, with extraordinary strategic vision and political wisdom, the Chinese and American leaders broke the ice of estrangement between China and the United States and opened a new chapter in our bilateral relations.

"Forty years have passed and thanks to concerted efforts of both sides, China-US relations have kept moving forward despite some ups and downs over these years," Yang added.

Yang pointed out that China-US relationship, with strong vitality and great potential, has grown into one of the most important bilateral ties in the world today.

He cited the facts that frequent high-level exchanges and growing dialogue mechanisms have become a regular feature of the bilateral ties, bilateral trade and business are flourishing, there are active people-to-people and local exchanges and the two countries have maintained close coordination on international issues.

The dynamic growth of China-US relations over the last 40 years proves that our shared interests far outweigh differences, Yang said, stressing that cooperation has always been the dominant trend of our relations, and that a sound China-US relationship is in the best interest of both countries.

The foreign minister said that China-US relations now stand at a new starting point at the second decade of this century. "

In January 2011, Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the United States. He reached agreement with President Obama on working together to build a China-US cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit, thus ushering China-US relations into a new stage," Yang added.

According to Yang, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao all have held many important and positive meetings with US leaders in recent years on strengthening our bilateral relations and promoting China-US cooperation.

"Last month, Vice President Xi Jinping paid a very successful visit to the United States to further implement the agreement reached between the two presidents, thus advancing the building of China-US cooperative partnership," Yang added.

"We need to act on the agreement reached between our two presidents and work hard to build China-US cooperative partnership," Yang proposed, suggesting that China and United States must increase dialogue, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation, and manage differences to ensure the healthy and steady growth of the bilateral relations.

The conference is held to mark the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's China visit and issuing of Shanghai Communique. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Chinese ambassador to the United States Zhang Yesui attends the conference.

Forty years ago, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit the People's Republic of China. He met with the late Chairman Mao Zedong on February 21, with the Shanghai Communique released on the day when he left China.

The visit and the release of the document had a significant impact on Sino-US relations, leading to the official establishment of diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial-level between the countries on January 1, 1979.