US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called for broader relations between the United States and China on Friday and said the two countries must work closely to rein an increasingly "belligerent" North Korea, according to dpa. Clinton said the US and Chinese relations are at a "critical juncture" as Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to visit Washington next week on an official state visit. The two countries must strive to cooperate to "shape the trajectory of this relationship" and cope with international challenges. "And over the past two years in the Obama administration we have created the opportunity for deeper, broader and more sustained cooperation," Clinton said in a speech at the State Department. "We have seen some early successes and also some frustrations. And moving forward, it is up to both of us to more consistently translate positive words into effective cooperation," she added. -- SPA