LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7 -- Former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke on Saturday expressed confidence in the future of U.S.-China relations, noting that bilateral cooperation is "stronger than ever before."

"The world is looking for the partnership between the United States and China to solve many of the problems," Locke told Xinhua in an exclusive interview before delivering a speech titled "Vision and Hope for the United States and China" at the University of Southern California.

With this year's Chinese Lunar New Year vacation drawing near, the number of Chinese tourists to the United States is expected to swell as the U.S. government has started issuing them 10-year multiple-entry visa.

The more people of the two countries visit each other, the better they will understand each other, said Locke, who worked during his tenure from 2011 to 2014 to push the two sides to reach a deal on visa extension.

"By giving students a five-year visa, by giving business travelers and tourists a 10-year visa, this will encourage more trips by the Chinese people to the United States," said the former ambassador, the first Chinese-American to fill the position.

"The more the two peoples have better understanding of each other, then we can have a stronger partnership on governments, business, scientific exchanges, partnership to find a cure for cancer, partnership to reduce the greenhouse gas emission and fighting climate change," he added.

During his speech to the audience of several hundred, mostly Chinese students, Locke said that U.S.-China ties are complex, but a prosperous China is good for the United States and a strong U.S.-China relationship is good for the entire world.

"The world wants even more cooperation between the United States and China," he said in the interview, "because the world is looking for leadership of both two countries working together to solve many of the tough issues, from climate change to finding cures for diseases, to bringing peace and stability throughout the world and fighting terrorism."