China urged Thursday bilateral consultations, dialogue and communication on an equal footing in solving China-U.S. trade frictions.

"We maintain that it is imperative to seek a mutually beneficial and win-win solution to some problems and frictions in the Sino-U.S. trade and economic relations through equal consultation, dialogue and communication," spokesman Qin Gang with the Foreign Ministry told reporters here.

China was willing to strengthen communication with the United States over related issues, Qin said.

Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan was paying a three-day visit to the United States from March 24 to strengthen the Sino-U.S.economic and trade cooperation.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai was also making a pass-by visit to the U.S. after attending a coordinators' meeting for the G20 Summit in Canada.

During their stay in the United States, the two officials exchanged views with people from all walks of life in the country on the major issues confronting bilateral economic and trade relations, Qin said.

China believes that such contacts are conducive to enhancing mutual trust and understanding, as well as the proper handling of the "problems" between the two sides, so that the problems will not hamper the overall development of Sino-U.S. relations, he said.

"China attaches great importance to the problems and frictions in the Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations and stands for resolving the problems through dialogues and consultations on an equal footing", he stressed.

Qin reaffirmed that respecting each other's core interests and major concerns was a key for ensuring healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations.

"A sound China-U.S. relationship is in the basic interests of the two peoples and is conducive to the peace, stability and prosperity of the world," he added.

"We hope the U.S. will work with China to advance bilateral relations toward the direction of positive, cooperative and comprehensive development in line with the important consensus reached between leaders of both nations and with the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and the Sino-U.S. joint declaration as the base," Qin said.