BEIJING, Jan. 9 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for sound interaction with the United States in Asia, urging the U.S. side to play a constructive role in the Asian-Pacific region.

Wang made the remarks during a recent interview with Al Jazeera, a Doha-based TV service, in the wake of his latest Middle East visit, according to a news release published on Thursday on the Foreign Ministry's official website.

"The Asian region is on the whole peaceful and promising, with countries living together in amity and the regional economy maintaining a sound momentum of rapid development," Wang said.

From a global perspective, Asia, particularly East Asia, has enjoyed fast growth and big potential, he said, adding efforts are being made for peaceful solutions for some issues left from history.

"We know that the United States has traditional influence and practical interests in this region, which we think is normal, since it is also a big nation in the Asia-Pacific," Wang said.

China respects US legitimate interests in the region and hopes to see it play a constructive role in regional affairs, the foreign minister added.

Wang recalled Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks that the vast Pacific Ocean has ample space for China and the United States to both develop.

During Xi and U.S. counterpart President Barack Obama's meeting last summer in California, the two sides reached consensus on many issues.

Xi proposed that China and the United States should build a new model for relationships between major countries, and President Obama readily agreed to the idea, according to Wang.

He elaborated on the features of the proposed new model, namely no conflict or confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation.

"The U.S. side subscribed to the idea fully," Wang said.

The two countries have since implemented the agreement and advanced the building of this new relationship, starting from the Asia region.

Wang expressed hope for "more communication and closer coordination and cooperation between China and the United States, first in Asian affairs, for more commonalities, which may help develop sound interactions in this region."

This serves the interests of China and the United States, and other regional countries as well, he said.