Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to make preparations for Chinese President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit and to exchange views on bilateral relations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 5, 2011. [Zhang Jun/Xinhua]

Yang spoke positively of the development of China-U.S. relations, including frequent contacts between the heads of state, the establishment of Strategic and Economic Dialogue as well as high-level consultation mechanism for talent exchanges.

Yang said the two countries have pushed forward their relationship through making new progress in the exchanges and cooperation in important fields and maintaining effective communication and coordination on regional hotspot issues and global issues as well.

President Hu's state visit is of great significance, Yang said, adding that he believed, with joint efforts from both sides, the visit will set new directions for the development of bilateral ties and elevate practical cooperation between the two sides to a new level.

Hu's visit will also provide strong impetus to people-to-people communication and make important contributions to regional and global peace, stability and development, Yang said.

Clinton said the U.S. side is looking forward to Hu's visit, which she believes is very important to develop a positive, cooperative and comprehensive bilateral relationship.

She said the U.S. side will work with the Chinese side to make meticulous preparations to ensure the success of the visit.

The secretary stressed China-U.S. relationship has kept sound momentum and the two sides have conducted effective cooperation in global issues such as international financial crisis and climate change.

The U.S. side appreciates the positive and constructive role China has been playing, she said.

Clinton said the relationship between the U.S. and China is of vital importance to world prosperity and stability, adding that the United States is ready to deepen its partnership with China on the basis of mutual understanding and trust.

Yang and Clinton also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern, including the Korean Peninsula situation and the Iranian nuclear issue.

Also on Wednesday, Yang attended a breakfast meeting hosted by the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, and exchanged views with U.S. experts and scholars on China-U.S. relations.