Hu's US visit a 'good opportunity' for ties

US envoy: Direct contact between China and US top leaders crucial

WASHINGTON- Sino-US ties need the direct involvement of top leaders, and President Hu Jintao's upcoming state visit here provides a "good opportunity" to help restore a positive momentum to the relationship, according to former US ambassador to China Stapleton Roy.

Roy, now the director of the Washington-based Kissinger Institute on China and United States, made the remarks during a recent interview with Xinhua in the run-up to Hu's visit scheduled for later this month. The ambassador, who was born in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in East China, is one of the most highly regarded US experts on China-US relations.