Veteran US diplomats Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski were on Thursday given the Committee of 100 (C-100) "leadership awards for advancing China-US relations" at the Andrew W. Mellow Auditorium in Washington.

Former US secretary of state Kissinger, 86, said it was crucial for the United States and China to "work together in the face of the global economic crisis and use common opportunities to their advantage".

The evolution of Sino-US relations is a remarkable success, said Brzezinski, 81, who was the national security adviser under President Jimmy Carter. Brzezinski also advised US President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign.

Kissinger, who hails from Germany, and Brzezinski, who migrated from Poland, are both naturalized Americans.

"China-US relations have always been very crucial for building a better world," Brzezinski said at the annual meeting of C-100, a non-partisan organization which was founded in 1990 and composed of American citizens of Chinese descent.

Among its members are noted cellist Yo-Yo Ma, composer and conductor Dun Tan, and Goo Greater China President Kai-Fu Lee.

Gary Locke, the US secretary of commerce, who has been a C-100 member since 2005, said he was committed to strengthening economic and commercial ties between China and the US.

"I know we all share a common enthusiasm to continue improving our economic ties with China, so that not only the people of both sides can benefit, but the entire global economy can grow," the commerce secretary said at the meeting.

(China Daily May 2, 2009)