BEIJING - Leaders of China and the United States sought open communications on issues ranging from politics and diplomacy to clean energy and trade, as one of the largest and most senior US congressional delegation came to Beijing Wednesday.

"It is a great pleasure for me to have an opportunity to meet 10 heavyweight US Senators," China's Vice Premier Wang Qishan said at the start of an hour-long meeting with the delegation Wednesday afternoon.

The delegation was led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and consisted of nine other senators.

"Such a formation alone reflected the weight you place on China-US relations," Wang said.

Reid jested that "we may not have started this journey as heavyweights, but having spent two days in Hong Kong and Macao eating as we did, we are all heavyweights."

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Vice premier underscored the importance China paid to the delegation as Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo and Vice President Xi Jinping will have separate meetings with the delegation on Thursday.

"During meetings with Chinese officials, the group will discuss issues including clean energy, trade issues, currency, foreign  policy," the delegation said in a statement issued on Monday.

"What we like to do is to have free flowing conversation with you," Reid told Wang. "We will not all ask you questions. But we thought it would be appropriate if you allow us to ask a few questions."

Wang reviewed Chinese President Hu Jintao's successful state visit to the United States in January, saying the visit ushered in a new era of partnership based on mutual respect, benefit and common prosperity.

"The China-US relationship is not limited to the two countries, but has global impacts," Wang said.

On the economic front, Wang said the two countries were economically complementary and neither could do without the other.

China is United States' second largest trading partner and its third largest export market with bilateral trade totalling 38.534 billion US dollars in 2010, according to China's Commerce Ministry.

"Both sides should avoid politicizing the economic issues by taking into account their differences and increasing communications," Wang said.

Vice Premier said more emphasis should be placed on the China-US Strategic and Economic dialogue, deepening cooperation in trade, economy, investment, and finance.

Confronted with the complicated situation, Wang said the priority is to ensure the comprehensive recovery of the world economy.

He said China will unswervingly advance reform and opening-up, restructure its economy and strike a balance between domestic consumption and external demand.

Also present at the meeting was US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who will conclude his term at the end of this month.

This was the last occasion for him to meet with Wang as US ambassador to China, Huntsman said when shaking hands with Wang at the start of the meeting.

Reid hailed Huntsman's contribution, saying "We too are proud of the  work the ambassador has done, someone who speaks fluent Chinese, someone he is representing so well."

On Thursday morning, the delegation will take the high-speed rail to the metropolis of Tianjin and visit a clean energy company in Langfang of Hebei Province.

The week-long tour will also take the delegation to the cities of Chengdu and Xi'an in west China.