Washington, Oct 29 (IANS): The US and China are at a crucial moment in their bilateral relationship and the two countries should work with each other to help resolve world issues, former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright has said.

In a live webcast interview hosted by the National Committee on US-China Relations Monday, the former secretary of state recalled her diplomatic career with China starting from the mid-1970s when she accompanied a Senate delegation to China in an effort to normalise bilateral relations, reported Xinhua.

"That moment of connection continues to shape both our countries and the world," she said while commenting on former US president Richard Nixon's ice-breaking visit to China in 1972.

Talking about the present, Albright, appointed secretary of state in 1997 and the first female to hold that position, said the consensus reached by US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping to build a new model of major-country relations is the "possible unifying goal" of the two largest economies in the world.

"The openness that Presidents Obama and Xi have displayed with one another and in their one-on-one interactions at the Sunnylands summit in June shows that our bilateral relationship is becoming not only more regularised but also more personalised," she said.

Albright said the two countries can work together "so long as we recognise our disagreements and core differences with maturity, confront our challenges directly, and have leaders on both sides that are committed to this relationship".