Chinese President Jiang Zemin told former U.S. President George Bush on Thursday that the key to the steady development of Sino-U.S. relations in the 21st century is to proceed from a strategic perspective which involves acting in the best interests of the two peoples.

He made the remarks in his meeting with Bush, who is here to attend The Smile Train, a charity program sponsored by U.S. software corporation Computer Associates. Jiang briefly reviewed the evolution of Sino-U.S. relations. Even though they suffered a relatively big setback last year, both sides agreed to continue their efforts to build up the China-U.S. strategic partnership during the meeting of Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation held last September, Jiang said.

He said the China-U.S. signing of a bilateral agreement for China's entry in the World Trade Organization (WTO) last November also improved Sino-U.S. ties.

"It was not an easy mission to develop our bilateral relations to the current phase," he said, attributing the growth of the current relationship to the efforts made by both sides, including those made by previous U.S. administrations during the past 20-oddyears.

China is willing to step up interaction with leaders from both Republican and Democratic parties and people from all walks of life in the U.S. if it will further develop Sino-U.S. ties, he said.

After briefing Jiang on the U.S. presidential campaign, Bush told Jiang he firmly supported China's entry into the WTO and advocated that China be granted permanent normal trade relations status, adding that such moves were in the interests of both sides. He said that he will personally work to push forward U.S.-China relations.

Bush and his wife Barbara are here as guests of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries