Washington: Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday stressed the need for dialogue with Iran over its nuclear program and told US President Barack Obama that Beijing would work with Washington on the matter, a Chinese official said.
"China and the United States share the same overall goal on the Iranian nuclear issue," said Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman for the Chinese delegation to an unprecedented nuclear summit, after a meeting of the two leaders in the US capital.
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"China hopes that various parties will continue to step up diplomatic efforts and actively seek effective ways to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations," he added.
He said Beijing was still prepared to take part in the negotiations with the five other world powers making up the P5+1 group handling the talks with Iran - alongside Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
The talks between Hu and Obama were the first since relations took a downturn earlier this year, and shows the two sides are seeking to turn the corner on months of bickering.
"The two sides should properly resolve economic and trade frictions through consultations on an equal footing and jointly uphold the larger interest of China-US economic cooperation and trade," Ma said.
The chill set in after Obama visited Hu in Beijing last November, over issues including the value of the yuan, trade and Internet freedom.
A surprise visit to Beijing last week by US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who opted to discuss some of the trouble spots in person after pushing back a potentially sensitive report, also served to soothe tensions.
Ma described Monday's talks as "candid" and "cordial," adding it was "a positive and constructive meeting."
"It is important for the two sides to work together to increase dialogue, enhance mutual trust and expand cooperation and continue to move China-US relations forward," he added.
The United States has been leading a drive to impose a fourth set of UN sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program. It has urged China to come on board to help draft a new UN resolution.
The West has accused Iran of seeking to acquire a nuclear bomb, charges which Tehran has vehemently denied, saying its atomic energy program is for peaceful purposes only.
Obama met with Hu on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit here aimed at winning pledges from world leaders to secure all loose nuclear material to prevent it from falling into the hands of extremists.
But Iran is expected to figure high in many of the bilateral talks the US president is holding with visiting leaders.
