U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Wednesday promised to renew their cooperation despite the country's differences on their currency and other issues. "We are preparing diligently for the upcoming visit by (Chinese) Presdient Hu Jintao. It's very much anticipated and looked forward to," Clinton said during a photo opportunity with Yang during his visit to the State Department. Their comments came ahead of Hu's official state visit on January 19. "Both the minister and I feel a great sense of responsibility to ensure that it continues the positive, cooperative comprehensive relationship between our two countries," Clinton said. "I think China-U.S. relationship is on the right track. We are confronted with common challenges and we are enjoying common opportunities," Yang added. "It's in the best interests of China, the United States, and the world for us to continue to work together so that our relationship will bring more benefits to both our two peoples and to the people of the world," he said. Ahead of the visit, the White House has indicated that it will continue to keep the pressure on Beijing to allow its Yuan currency to appreciate. Critics say China keeps the Yuan undervalued in order to gain an unfair trade advantage that has cost thousands of U.S. jobs.
