China's Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed during a telephone conversation Thursday that bilateral relations have taken a turn for the better.

In the telephone call requested by the United States, Tang and Powell said the recent difficult period in Sino-US relations had passed.

Tang said he would be pleased to meet Powell in Hanoi next month during the ASEAN summit and to exchange views on Sino-US relations and other issues of mutual concern.

Powell is also expected to accompany US President George W. Bush to China later this year.

"China attaches importance to its relations with the US, hoping to forge constructive and cooperative relations with the US," said Tang.

Tang added that China was willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the US, enhance understanding and trust, and actively make preparations for the meeting between Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Bush in October.

Powell said that "the undesired twists and turns in the development of bilateral relations have become history" and that he would be glad to meet Tang in Hanoi.

The meeting between Powell and Tang next month at the foreign ministers summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, will be the first time the two will have met.

The two also exchanged views on issues concerning Iraq Thursday.

Bush is due to travel to Shanghai for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) summit in October and has accepted an invitation to visit Beijing afterwards.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The forum includes other countries with an interest in the region.

The United States and China sparred on a number of issues in the last few months, including the spy plane collision and arms sales to Taiwan.

(Chinadaily.com.cn 06/28/2001)