Chines Vice-Premier Liu Yandong speaks in Washington on Tuesday morning at the joint opening ceremony for the seventh China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the sixth China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE). CHEN WEIHUA/CHINA DAILY

China and the United States began their largest high-level meetings on Tuesday to better identify opportunities for expanding cooperation and to effectively manage differences in an increasingly complex relationship.

Chinese Vice-Premiers Liu Yandong and Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi and US Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Treasury Jack Lew attended the joint opening ceremony on Tuesday morning for the seventh China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) and the sixth China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE).

Liu said President Xi Jinping has placed high emphasis on this year's S&ED and CPE meetings and asked her, Wang and Yang to pass his message onto President Barack Obama.

Liu quoted Xi as saying that it is the priority of China's foreign policy to build a new type of major country relationship with the US based on the principle of non-confrontation, non-conflict, mutual cooperation and win-win.

"Facing a complex and ever changing global environment, China and the US have a vast area that they should and can cooperate. The two sides should firmly keep the bilateral relationship in the right track," Xi was quoted as saying.

Xi, who is scheduled to pay a state visit to the US in September, said that if the two sides focus on the big picture of the bilateral relationship, respect and take care of each other's core interests and avoid strategic misunderstanding and miscalculation, their differences can be managed and controlled and common interests can be protected.

He hoped teams on both sides will work harder to take advantage of the S&ED and CPE mechanisms to further promote cooperation between the two countries, and to ensure that the China-US relationship will continue to benefit people in both countries and around the world.

Biden praised China's contribution in a wide range of areas, including climate change, the North Korea nuclear issue, its role at the UN and in UN peacekeeping efforts and fighting side by side with the US against the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.

He reiterated the US stance of welcoming China's rise, and emphasized the importance of managing areas of disagreements to build a long and sustainable relationship. "We don't see eye-to-eye (on certain issues) but we should not stop working hand-in-hand," Biden said, citing Xi's previous speech of "casting our eyes to the far horizon" in looking at the relationship.

Kerry, who arrived at the State Department auditorium on crutches due to a recent bike accident in France, said the US side is particularly looking forward to Xi's upcoming visit to the US.

"We are excited about the prospect of cooperation between the two nations," he said, adding that it will help other nations when they see China and the US work together.