U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao held a summit in Beijing earlier this week and agreed to push cooperation on such issues as the fight against global warming, denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and efforts to realize a world without nuclear weapons. The two leaders refrained from locking horns on such issues as Taiwan and human rights.

Their joint statement not only testifies to the desire of the United Sates and China to seek coexistence in the 21st century but also shows that their bilateral relationship can exercise a large influence in international politics. China, with the largest population and the second-biggest military budget in the world, will become the world's No. 2 economy soon, surpassing Japan.

The statement in part said, "The United States and China have an increasingly broad base of cooperation and share increasingly important common responsibilities on many major issues concerning global stability and prosperity. The two countries should further strengthen coordination and cooperation, work together to tackle challenges, and promote world peace, security and prosperity."