NEW YORK, Sept. 25 -- The most important lesson from the China-U.S. relationship is that the two countries should be partners, not rivals, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting U.S. representatives from the National Committee on United States-China Relations, the U.S.-China Business Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Aspen Institute, the Asia Society, and the Council on Foreign Relations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The U.S. side needs to recognize that China also has the right to develop, Wang said, adding that China's development is an opportunity, not a challenge, for the United States and the world.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council and the world's two largest economies, China and the United States should strive for a stable, healthy, and sustainable development of their relationship and work with the international community to address the numerous global challenges facing today's world, Wang said.

He expressed hope that the United States will adopt an objective and rational understanding of China to enhance mutual understanding and trust.