Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Tuesday called on the United States to "cautiously and properly" handle issues related to China's core interests such as those concerning Taiwan and Tibet.

To develop China-U.S. relations, both countries should always stick to the principles laid down in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and the Sino-U.S. joint statement, and respect each other's core interests and major concerns, Yang said at a press conference held on the sidelines of the national legislature's annual session. [More about the press conference]

The minister said although there are some differences and disagreements between China and the U.S., on the whole the Sino-U.S. relationshop has been moving foreward rather than backward.

The year of 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the issuing of China-U.S. Shanghai Communique. Yang said the bilateral relations have forged ahead despite some twists and turns in the past four decades, and the door for exchange and cooperation has become more wide open.

Yang said that China and the U.S. should continue to enhance communications and coordination through such platforms as high-level mutual visits and Sino-U.S. strategic and economic dialogues.

He suggested that the two countries should work together to increase strategic mutual trust, remove barriers and disturbances and open up new prospects for such two big countries to embrace healthy interactions and win-win cooperation.

"The engagement between the two countries has shown that a peaceful China-U.S. relationship benefit both countries, while a confrontational one harms both," said Yang who was China's ambassador to the U.S. from 2001 to 2005.

Yang said last year Chinese President Hu Jintao paid a successful state-visit to the United States, during which President Hu and President Barack Obama reached important consensus to build a China-U.S. cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and benefit.

"Since then, President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao have had several important meetings with President Obama. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping paid a successful visit to the U.S. last month that has given strong boost to the building of China-U.S. cooperative partnership," the minister said.

"China and the U.S. have more converging interests in the Asia-Pacific region than anywhere else in the world...We hope to see and welcome a constructive role by the U.S. in this region, and at the same time, we hope that the U.S. side will respect China's interests and concerns," Yang said.

"We are ready to work with the U.S. and other countries in this region to develop an Asia-Pacific region that enjoys greater stability and development," he said.