HOUSTON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit is the only right option for the development of relations between China and the United States, the Chinese consul general in Houston said on Sunday.

Li Qiangmin, the consul, made the remarks in a speech delivered prior to the start of a Chinese folk music concert intended to support Harvey disaster relief on Sunday night at the Asia Society Texas Center in Houston.

In his speech, Li emphasized the relationship between China and the United States as the most important bilateral ties in the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump have chartered the course and set the tone for China-U.S. relations with their successful meetings at Mar-a-Lago resort in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida, as well as in Hamburg, Germany during the G20 summit, Li noted.

"Following the guidance of the two heads of state, the two sides are now making new progress and injecting fresh impetus into their cooperation in various areas through deepening dialogues and coordination, and are handling the differences in a constructive way," Li said.

Referring to the performance at the Chinese folk music concert as a meaningful event, Li said it would "bring drops of our goodwill to the loving stream that nourishes the hearts of the suffering people."

Harvey blew ashore on Aug. 25 as the most powerful hurricane to hit the southern U.S. state of Texas in more than 50 years, displacing hundreds of thousands people and damaging some 200,000 houses in a path of destruction that stretches for more than 480 km. The Houston area was hit by severe flooding, after receiving about 1.4 meters of rain.

The concert titled "Performing Asia: Concert of Chinese Folk Music" was performed by Tianjin Chinese Traditional Orchestra, one of China's most prestigious traditional orchestras.