Relations between China and the U.S. should be used to shape a new international understanding, said former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Beijing on Tuesday.

Addressing the China Sciences and Humanities Forum (CSHF), Kissinger said he regards Sino-U.S. relations as a key component in a new system of international relations, a system based on cooperative action and the prevention of catastrophes.

"Throughout history, when one country becomes stronger, the former super power feels uneasy", said Kissinger. "But China's rise is inevitable. There's nothing that can be done to prevent it. And there is no reason to oppose it. America needs to cooperate with the world's most populous country."

Kissinger, invited back to China by CSHF president Zheng Bijian, began his 45 minute speech by recalling his first visit to China and his dialogue with former premier Zhou Enlai.

"The first time I met Zhou, I told him that I was in a mysterious country", said Kissinger. "But Zhou replied that no one here -- surrounded by 900 million others -- felt in the least mysterious." "It showed us how little we knew about China", he added.

"Since then, I have learnt a lot about China and I have witnessed huge and unexpected changes", said Kissinger.

"International relations are now going through a sea change. The center of the world is moving from the European Continent to the Pacific. The key countries in tomorrow's world are located in Asia."

"China was dominant in Asia for centuries. Japan only emerged last century. America only reached prominence in the last few decades. It was because of their common concerns about the USSR that China and America came together."

Kissenger spoke highly of Sino-U.S. cooperation in the six-party talks. And he expressed his confidence in the ability of the two countries to develop harmonious bilateral relations. He said that China and the U.S. share common views on a number of key international issues, such as nuclear non-proliferation, energy, globalization and environmental protection.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the "Sino-U.S. Shanghai Joint Communique".

In July 1971, Kissinger made a secret visit to Beijing as former U.S. President Richard Nixon's national security advisor. Nixon's ensuing "ice-breaking" visit to China on February 21, 1972 marked the beginning of the normalization of relations between China and the United States.