President Barack Obama called for deeper US-Chinese economic cooperation on Monday and outlined a broad agenda for a positive relationship between the two countries. 

Mr Obama was speaking at the opening of two days of talks at the White House between high-ranking American and Chinese officials. "The relationship between the United States and China will shape the 21st century, which makes it as important as any bilateral relationship in the world," he said. "That reality must underpin our partnership."

The Obama administration has sought to tread gently on some of the main issues that have separated the two countries in the past, such as the US charge that Beijing represses ethnic minorities. In his opening remarks, Mr Obama did mention human rights, saying both nations believe that the religion and culture of all peoples must be respected. "That includes ethnic and religious minorities in China, as surely as it includes minorities within the United States," he said.

The bulk of the President's remarks focused on the US-Chinese economic relationship and how the two countries should work together to help restore economic growth. "The current crisis has made it clear that the choices made within our borders reverberate across the global economy - and this is true not just of New York and Seattle but Shanghai and Shenzhen as well," Mr Obama said. "That is why we must remain committed to strong bilateral and multilateral coordination."

North Korea
Mr Obama also outlined an agenda for addressing North Korea's refusal to give up nuclear weapons. He raised the spectre of a "nuclear arms race" in East Asia if North Korea's months of provocations go unchecked. "Make no mistake: the more nations acquire these weapons, the more likely it is that they will be used," said Mr Obama, who has made the elimination of nuclear weapons a signature priority. "Neither America nor China has an interest in a terrorist acquiring a bomb, or a nuclear arms race breaking out in East Asia," he said.

He said that the United States and China should "make it clear to North Korea that the path to security and respect can be traveled if they meet their obligations." Mr Obama added that the two nations "must also be united in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and urging the Islamic republic to live up to its international obligations."

Climate change
President Obama also called for China and the United States to work together to draft a new treaty on climate change and to chart a "low-carbon recovery" for the global economy. He said that Washington and Beijing had responsibilities as the two largest producers of carbon emissions blamed for global warming. "Together we can chart a low carbon recovery," he said. "Let's be frank: neither of us profits from a growing dependence on foreign oil, nor can we spare our people from the ravages of climate change unless we cooperate. Common sense calls upon us to act."