国内英语新闻:U.S. midterm elections not to alter cooperative direction of U.S.-China ties: expert

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States will continue to pursue the common interest without being affected by the recent changes of the U.S. political landscape, said a U.S. scholar on Friday.

"There is a lot of consistency in China-U.S. relations. If you look back over time, whether it is Democrats or Republicans in the Congress or in the White House, China has always been an important country for the United States. Both countries will continue to pursue the common interest," said Elizabeth Wishnick, Research Associate at Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University.

She told Xinhua in an interview that it would be difficult to see major changes occurring between U.S.-China ties after the U.S. midterm elections, because both countries share so many common interests in terms of preventing the nuclear proliferation weapons and reducing the problems of terrorism, etc.

"Keep in mind the long-term interests we share and the long history of cooperation we have, China and U.S. will find ways to move forward and have good possibility for future cooperation," she stressed.

Wishnick admitted that it is a difficult time right now for U.S. and China, because "the economy is pulling both nations in different directions and no solution has been worked out yet to resolve the pressing economic problems that divide us."

"It's a challenge for us to keep focus on what can be accomplished bilaterally, instead of getting too distracted by pressing current problems. If we could have better understanding of each other's domestic concern, it will help have less confrontational dialogue," she added.

She regarded Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Obama's meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, as well as President Hu's coming visit in January, as good opportunities for two leaders to further deepen mutual understandings.

"It is a process of building trust. As long as they are able to discuss their differences, they have better chance to be able to address them more effectively," she said.