BEIJING - As China and the United States start their annual high-level dialogue here Monday, Washington needs to join China in focusing on the big picture of bilateral cooperation and preventing the South China Sea issue from jeopardizing their overall ties.

The eighth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), which will be held alongside the seventh China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), is expected to cover a wide range of topics, including the South China Sea situation.

As Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang has said, the two sides will exchange "candid, in-depth views on important and sensitive issues of shared concern," which indicates China's readiness to discuss hot and sensitive matters with the United States as well as its resolve to control and manage differences through dialogue.

Yet as hot as it is, the South China Sea issue does not have the United States as a directly involved party and should not be allowed to derail the largest and most promising dialogue mechanism between the world's top two economies.

As Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai has pointed out, China-US relations are just "too important" to be "hijacked" by the South China Sea issue, and the region should not become a "competing ground" for China and the United States.

"We may have major differences, but we also share important interests, including maintaining regional peace and stability, supporting freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, and resolving disputes through peaceful negotiations and diplomatic dialogue," Cui said.

The annual high-level bilateral dialogue has played an important and unique role in promoting strategic mutual trust, exploring mutually beneficial cooperation and deepening friendship between China and the United States.

This year's edition, which includes dozens of important topics in the strategic, economic and cultural fields, is no exception. Not only will the dialogue serve as a de-stressing platform for the two sides to constructively resolve problems and contain differences, but it will also help promote healthy and stable development of China-US relations in the interest of both countries.

As the world's two major countries, China and the United States share a broad range of common interests, though with differences emerging now and then. However, the common interests weigh much more than the differences, and the depth and width of bilateral cooperation far exceed those of frictions.

As problems between China and the United States are just small streams from the big river of China-US relations, one should not fix attention only on the streams while neglecting the forward running torrent.

History has proven that as long as the two countries focus on the big picture by expanding common ground and reserving differences, they will be able to overcome temporary difficulties and further advance bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both and all.