(CNN) -- The relationship between China and the United States is "the most important" bilateral relationship in the world, a former Chinese foreign ministry official said Monday. Victor Zhikai Gao, now the director of the Beijing Private Equity Association, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that the United States should deal with Beijing "with respect" and not be "too abrasive." "That's the minimum thing we can ask for, I believe," he said on the eve of talks between President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Gao pointed out that China is now the United States' largest creditor nation, holding foreign reserves of more than $2 trillion, about two-thirds of which are assets that are denominated in U.S. dollars.
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Victor Zhikai Gao is now the director of the Beijing Private Equity Association
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Gao says the United States should deal with Beijing "with respect"
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Gao says China has no desire to be an enemy of the United States
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But @placeholder insists America "will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear."
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But Obama insists @placeholder "will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear."
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He also tried to reassure critics in the United States, some of whom have accused China of manipulating its currency to keep the cost of @placeholder goods artificially low, about the impact of China's rapidly expanding economic power.