Washington's ambassador to Beijing said Thursday bilateral disputes should not interfere with cooperation between the U.S. and China on international issues such as global warning and Iran's nuclear program.
Jon Huntsman's remarks come amid lingering Chinese anger over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and a meeting between President Barack Obama and Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama. Tensions are also rising over trade disputes and U.S. pressure on China to allow its currency to appreciate, AP reported.
In a speech at Beijing's elite Tsinghua University, Huntsman said those differences "cannot, must not, prevent the two countries from working together to create jobs, address climate change, and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability."
"To put our relationship on a more stable and mature footing, we have to delink our differences on bilateral issues from our cooperation on global issues, including nonproliferation," he said.