WASHINGTON -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng delivered written remarks Friday to the Yangtze-Mississippi River Regional Dialogue, hailing the mechanism as a shining example of China-US subnational cooperation.

Extending congratulations on the successful opening of the event, Xie said the Yangtze River and the Mississippi River are the longest rivers in China and the United States, respectively. They have borne witness to the economic and social progress of both countries, and nurtured generations of sons and daughters, he added.

"Protecting the mother river is our shared obligation, and seeking new development is our common pursuit," the ambassador said.

Delegates from cities along the two rivers gathered at the event to share experience and explore cooperation, so as to jointly promote green development, enhance people's well-being and build bridges of friendship. The event is results-oriented, effective and of far-reaching significance, a shining example of China-US subnational cooperation, he said.

Noting that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, Xie said the two sides should safeguard the relationship just as they protect their mother river.

Both sides need to make joint efforts to follow the three principles on China-US relations proposed by President Xi Jinping, namely, mutual respect, peaceful co-existence and win-win cooperation, the ambassador said.

For the China-US relationship to embark on a new journey, the two sides need to pool stronger support for subnational cooperation and people's friendship, Xie said.

"We hope that more people with vision will join this great endeavor, so that China-US subnational cooperation and people's friendship will surge forward just like the Yangtze River and the Mississippi River," the envoy said.

The Yangtze-Mississippi River Regional Dialogue was organized by the United States Heartland China Association in Memphis, Tennessee, gathering more than 100 delegates from Chinese and American cities, as well as experts and scholars.