Yang Jiechi (2nd L), a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (1st L), U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (2nd R) and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis attend a press conference following the second China-U.S. Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington D.C. Nov. 9, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Two senior Chinese officials said here on Friday that China and the United States should respect each other, pursue mutual benefits, focus on cooperation, and properly manage and control their differences, for the interests of the peoples of the two countries as well as the world at large.

Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and Wei Fenghe, Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister, made the remarks at a joint press conference with their U.S. counterparts after the second China-U.S. diplomatic and security dialogue held in Washington,

The dialogue came ahead of an upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump during the G20 summit in Argentina slated later this year.

Yang said that the meeting bears great significance, and both countries should strengthen communication, keep close coordination, and make elaborate preparations to ensure that the important meeting would yield positive results.

China and the United States, the world's top two economies, and the world's largest developing and developed nations, respectively, have wide-ranging common interests and huge room for cooperation, despite differences in some areas, said Yang.

Since the two nations established diplomatic relations nearly 40 years ago, their bilateral ties, despite some twists and turns, have kept forging ahead in general, he noted.

It has been proved that cooperation is the only right choice for the two nations, and a win-win collaboration is the only way towards a bright future, Yang said.

Facing the profound and complicate changes in the international situation, China and the United States should follow the consensus reached between their heads of state, work for the fundamental interests of the peoples of both countries and the whole world, respect each other, pursue mutual benefits, focus on consultation and communication and properly manage and control differences so as to ensure the sound and steady development of bilateral relations, and bring more satisfaction and benefits to their peoples, Yang said.

Speaking of trade, Yang said that China-U.S. trade relations are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature.

The economic and trade problems of the two nations are a result of their differences in economic structure, industrial divisions and development stage, thus they should be resolved through dialogue and communication, Yang said.

China has, as always, kept its door open for dialogue, he noted.

The senior Chinese official hoped that the two nations' teams should follow the spirit demonstrated by the recent telephone conversation between the heads of state of the two countries, strengthen contact and communication on the basis of equality and sincerity, so as to reach solutions acceptable for both sides.

Wei Fenghe said at the press conference that relations between the two countries' militaries have been an important part of the two nations' overall relations.

Noting that the two militaries have wide-ranging common interests and important responsibilities in maintaining world peace and security, Wei said that the two sides should work together and co-exist peacefully for the well-being of the two nations and the world at large, instead of engaging in conflicts and confrontations to spell disasters.

The Chinese armed forces firmly defend China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and development interests, and are willing to work together with its U.S. counterparts to respect each other's core interests and major concerns, strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, properly manage and control differences, and advance cooperation, so as to make the military-to-military relations a stabilizing factor in the overall bilateral relationship, Wei said.

At the press conference, Yang and Wei also expounded the Chinese government's principled position in response to questions about China's foreign policy, defense strategy, China-U.S. ties, and specific issues concerning Taiwan, South China Sea and human rights.