NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-China technology competition should allow cooperation and "shouldn't mean that we're adversaries," Amy Celico, a principal of the consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group, said on Thursday.

"If we get to a bad result, it's because we go beyond competition and we want to restrict our ability to work together," Celico told Xinhua in an interview.

Celico said Chinese and American companies enjoy a long history of cooperation on technology issues, and she believes that from the perspective of an economist, competition is a good thing, which leads to better results.

"Innovation doesn't typically happen in a vacuum," and many Chinese companies in Silicon Valley and many American companies across China see the value in cooperation, Celico added.

"From the business perspective, we want to see a way to continue to promote global innovation," said the expert, while adding that "we are looking to our governments to tell us are there going to be limitations based on national security that will restrict that cooperation."

Technology cooperation and exchanges between the two countries face headwinds from rising regulatory barriers and concerns in the name of national security, according to the expert.

As a former senior director for China affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Celico now leads the global business strategy firm's China team and advises her clients on deepening relationships with stakeholders, resolving complex problems and expanding their businesses.