BEIJING, July 2 -- Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi held telephone talks Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on bilateral relations.

Yang said that China-U.S. relations have, on the whole, been stable of late.

Under the guidance of the consensus reached by the heads of state of the two nations, China and the United States have made positive progress in building a new type of major-country relationship, he said.

The two sides need to maintain high-level strategic communication, advance cooperation and patch up differences in a constructive way, so as to push forward bilateral relations along the right track for steady development, said Yang.

China attaches great importance to the upcoming round of China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialog (S&ED) as well as China-U.S. Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE), said the Chinese state councilor, voicing hope for concerted efforts to prompt the S&ED and the CPE to make positive achievements.

Kerry said that the United States is ready to make joint efforts with China to ensure the smooth progress of the S&ED and the CPE and facilitate the construction of a new type of major-country relationship between China and the United States.

Yang and Kerry also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern.