US Vice President Joe Biden says the United States and China must be "honest and direct" about their future relations because that will shape the contours of the 21st century for the world.

Biden made the remarks during a meeting with a high-ranking Chinese delegation for annual strategic and economic talks in Washington on Tuesday.  

He praised China for being "a partner" of the United States on many issues from nuclear negotiations to climate change, but added that there are also differences between the two nations over a number of issues.

"I believe that the future of China's success and global influence is directly tied to the extent to which it acts as a responsible stake-holder," Biden said.

"Essential to this is to find new ways to work together even as we seek to manage future competition."

Biden told the Chinese officials that Beijing must be at the table in all important global negotiations despite the differences.

Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang said at the start of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue at the State Department that the United States and China must avoid "old paths of confrontation and conflict."

Wang stated that "dialogue is always more preferable than confrontation."

Biden, however, warned China amid territorial disputes with Asian neighbors over the South and East China Seas, saying that the world's waterways must remain open for trade.

"Responsible countries adhere to international law and work together to keep international sea lanes open for unimpaired commerce. Eighty percent of all the commerce today is on the back of a ship somewhere floating on the oceans," Biden said.

"The notion of sea lanes being open and protected is even more crucial today than any time in human history, because of the interconnectiveness of the world."

Washington accuses Beijing of undergoing a massive “land reclamation” program in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, and says China’s territorial claims of the man-made islands could further militarize the region.

The United States says its surveillance of China’s artificial islands indicates that Beijing has positioned weaponry on one of the islands it has built in the South China Sea.

Beijing says it is determined to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the South China Sea.

GJH/GJH