A former US president said Monday in Beijing that he believed in the "peaceful rise of China."

"I believe in the peaceful rise of China...the rise is inevitable," former US President George Bush told an audience of diplomats and experts attending a two-day seminar on China-US relations held in Beijing.

Initiated in 2003, the biennial seminar was co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Texas A&M University, with topics centering on diplomacy, trade and research in China-US relations.

"The United States has a 'vital interest' in a stable and prosperous China that is friendly to its neighbors," Bush said.

"Both my oldest son, the current US President Bush, and I think that US-China relations have never been better than they are right now," said senior Bush, adding that "the best days of the relation are still ahead."

He said that the United States and China have shared interests in such areas as maintaining world order, promoting the development of human rights and trade and preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Calling for US-China cooperation to "grow deeper and stronger," Bush said it will not only improve the quality of people's lives in both nations, but also bring benefits to the global community.

Noting the geopolitical system keeps changing in the 21st century, senior Bush said "I consider the US-China bilateral relationship the most important relationship, particularly with respect to peace and stability."

Source: Xinhua