Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the United States, Sept. 27, 2012. (Xinhua/Wang Lei)

China and the United States should maintain the momentum of dialogue and cooperation and work hard to expand common interests, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said here Thursday.

Yang made the call as he met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly.

Yang said that a good and stable China-U.S. relationship which keeps moving forward serves the fundamental interests of the two countries, and is conducive to peace, stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large.

"The two sides should keep the momentum of dialogue and cooperation, continue to enhance exchanges at all levels, fully tap cooperation potentials and work hard to expand common interests," Yang said.

"China is willing to join the U.S. to implement important agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries, promote the building of the China-U.S. cooperative partnership in order to explore a new type of relations between major powers."

Clinton, for her part, said that the United States attaches great importance to the cooperative relations with China.

Cooperation between the two countries in all areas has brought tremendous interests for both sides, she said, adding various dialogue and cooperation mechanisms fully reflect the depth and width of the bilateral ties.

Under the international conditions where uncertainty and challenges have increased, it is of particular importance to develop the relations between China and the United States, Clinton noted.

The United States supports China's fast development, and is willing to strengthen coordination with China in regional and international affairs, she said.

During their meeting, Yang explained China's solemn positions on the Diaoyu Islands issue.

He pointed out that the Japanese government's decision of "purchasing the islands" seriously infringed upon China's territorial sovereignty, to which China firmly opposed.

The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands have been China's inherent territory. Any unilateral action adopted by the Japanese side is illegal and invalid. Japan must abandon any illusion, face up to reality and correct their mistakes with credible steps, he said.