HOUSTON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States should build a relationship based on mutual respect and non-confrontation and make the cake of cooperation bigger, a Chinese diplomat has said.

Speaking at an event on Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up policy, Chinese Deputy Consul General Wang Yu reviewed the achievements China has made in the past four decades and highlighted the challenges facing the Asian nation.

On China-U.S. relations, Wang said the two countries share common interests. "We are living in the era of globalization and information. China's interests and U.S. interests are highly intertwined," he said.

Admitting that China-U.S. relations have experienced ups and downs in the past, Wang believed the two countries should manage their differences "in a constructive way."

"We have a lot of mutual interests and great potential, so we need to make the cake of cooperation bigger instead of cutting them into tiny pieces," said Wang.