LOS ANGELES - US-China relations are improving on the back of their need for mutual support after undergoing a rocky period earlier this year, US Congressman Adam Schiff said here Friday.

The bilateral relationship came under pressure due to US arms sales to Taiwan, the Dalai Lama's US visit and tensions in the Korean Peninsula, but the overall situation was good and the bilateral cooperation was at a very high level, the Democratic congressman from California told a Chinese press club luncheon.

Schiff said he didn't think the current tensions on the Korean Peninsula would have a serious impact on US relations with China.

He said both countries needed each other's support in forums such as the six-party talks to resolve the issue of nuclear proliferation on the peninsular.

The United States also needed China's cooperation in developing alternative and green energy. The two nations could not simply compete with each other on this front, but needed to learn from each other, he said.

Schiff sponsored the Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act to strengthen the US Department of Homeland Security's efforts in developing techniques for "fingerprinting" nuclear material and encouraged US President Barack Obama to negotiate international agreements to govern international nuclear forensics activities.

Schiff is also leading the effort to combat intellectual property theft. He is a co-chair of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus, a bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers dedicated to working with America's international trading partners to secure the enactment of strong copyright laws as well as their vigilant enforcement.

Schiff said Hollywood movies are popular in China and the movie industry is one of the few sectors enjoying a trade surplus.

He said it was important for the US to strengthen its efforts to fight piracy, admitting that in this field, the United States and China had many concerns.
                                                                                                 Source: China Daily