China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

National flags of China and the United States. [Photo: IC]

"This is the most important thing we can learn from the past," Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the country's annual legislative session.

Though a lot of changes have taken place in the world and in both countries since they established diplomatic relations four decades ago, this valuable lesson still holds true today and must be adhered to and safeguarded, Wang added.

He said China and the United States should stay the course without any doubts and work together to build a relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability -- an important understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries.