US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Saturday voiced the United States' willingness to cooperate with China.

"China, of course, is an emerging power. The United States seeks to cooperate with it in many fields -- diplomacy, economics and global security," said Rumsfeld while addressing the third Asian Security Conference, which opened here on Friday focusing on regional security issues.

The US secretary said that the world would welcome a China that is committed to peaceful solutions and whose talented people contribute to international peace and prosperity.

Rumsfeld also praised China for its efforts to help resolve the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula, saying that Washington is pleased that China has agreed to play a leading role, which is important to ensuring the success of the multilateral diplomatic effort to solve this problem.

He noted that the United States strongly supports such a multilateral diplomatic effort.

Rumsfeld also stressed the importance of Washington's close cooperation with its allies and friends in Asia, which he describes as one of the world's fastest-growing centers for the creation of opportunity, prosperity and knowledge, saying that such cooperation is "more essential than ever."

Source: Xinhua