U.S. Senator John Kerry says China should join in condemning North Korea's aggression against South Korea, citing the North's sinking of the naval vessel Cheonan.

Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke at a committee hearing whose theme was, "Finding Common Ground with a Rising China."

He said he expects China to actively implement U.N. sanctions on North Korea and Iran in cooperation with the U.S. and other U.N. Security Council members.

He stressed that the U.S. needs China's cooperation in nearly all global tasks, such as nuclear proliferation, the world economy and global climate change.

Kerry said that how Washington coordinates with its allies on responding to China's rising economic, military and political influence will be critical to establishing international order in the 21st century.