HOUSTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A "good relationship with China" is beneficial for the economy of Alaska, said state senator Lisa Murkowski on Friday.

Murkowski, also chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said during the CERAWeek energy meeting in Houston that Alaska "has an interest in making sure that we have a good relationship with China."

CERAWeek is an annual energy meeting sponsored by the London-based information company IHS Markit, featuring prominent speakers from the energy, technology and financial sectors.

"China is our big trading partner in Alaska, whether it's with seafood or other materials. China has been developing that trade relationship a lot. That is a real relationship," she said.

Last year, China and the United States signed a number of energy deals, including the memorandum of understanding on a deal on Alaska's lignified natural gas (LNG) exports to China worth 45 billion U.S. dollars.

Although there is a great deal of work to do, both sides are actively working together to fully implement the deal, she added.

This year's CERAWeek meeting attracted more than 3,000 political and industrial leaders from some 50 countries and regions for an exchange of views on global energy policy and market.

The meeting reached a consensus that more effort is needed to develop technologies to increase energy efficiency. Participants also agreed that although fossil fuels will remain a major source of energy in the foreseeable future, the development of renewables is an inevitable trend.