"The relationship between the United States and China will be a warm and strong one in the future," Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said in Indianapolis Thursday.

"We will manage any disagreement without reducing the sense that we have the common objective," he said.

"The relationship is reasonably positive right now," the governor told Xinhua in an exclusive interview before his trip to China, which will begin on the weekend. "We have so much more in common, and the U.S. economy will not be better if China was to weaken."

Daniels said he is fairly impressed by China's fast development in recent decades. "In China, the action is quick on things that appear to be wise decisions, which is an important lesson for people here," he said.

This will be the governor's second visit to China, and he will lead a trade delegation of Indiana's business leaders and politicians to China and Japan. Daniels will also travel to Shanghai and Indiana's sister province Zhejiang from Nov. 7 to 13, where he will meet officials from Wanxiang, Geely, Dongfeng and other Chinese auto companies.

"More contacts at all levels will help to improve the relationship, but the fastest and best way is to have more business relationships," Daniels said, "We will not only visit businesses that have a relationship with the United States already, but also those who are thinking about their first investment in the United States."

The governor said Indiana is among the "top states for doing business in the United States" thanks to its low taxes, competitive living costs and sound regulation. He was also proud of his state's transportation efficiency, saying "you can reach 80 percent of the American population with a one-day truck drive."

Chinese furniture maker Anji Yuankai Furniture Co. Ltd. recently announced it will establish its U.S. headquarters in Marion, Indiana. Wanxiang Group Corporation, a leading Chinese automotive part supplier, is also considering a joint-venture arrangement with a local company.

As for the U.S. mid-term election, Daniels believed that the election is unlikely to have a significant effect on the relationship between the two countries, although it will "change many things."

Daniels is a rising political star from the Republican Party and is said to run for president in 2012. In Indiana, the Republican Party has taken control of the majority of the House of Representatives and taken both of two Senate seats after the mid-term election.

He showed dissatisfaction over the current U.S. economic policy, saying "the federal government's stimulus program was not well designed, and the current administration has put too much burden and obstacles in the path of growth, maybe they can change their way after the election on Tuesday."

Daniels believed that China and the United States should seek common ground while reserving differences, and that getting rid of divarication in trade requires the wisdom of leaders from both sides. He hoped that there will be more investment in Indiana and that the recovery of the U.S. economy could provide a broad market for Chinese companies.