WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Barack Obama Thursday said he had invited top Republicans to the White House for talks after Congress returns later this month, saying the two sides had to work together. We cant afford two years of just squabbling, Obama said, after rival Republicans routed his Democrats in Tuesdays elections to re-take overwhelming control of the House of Representatives. I think its clear that the voters sent a message, which is, they want us to focus on the economy and jobs and moving this country forward, Obama told reporters. They want to change the tone here in Washington where the two parties are coming together and focusing on the peoples business as opposed to scoring political points. The Democratic Party hung onto its majority in Senate, and the next US elections are set for November 2012 when the president will face re-election. Whats going to be critically important over the coming months is creating a better working relationship between this White House and the congressional leadership, Obama told reporters. What we need to do is make sure that everyone is pulling together, both Democrats and Republicans, he said of the White House talks planned for November 18. This is going to be a meeting in which I want us to talk substantively about how we can move the American peoples agenda forward. Its not going to just be a photo op. Hopefully it may spill over into dinner, and the immediate focus is going to be what we need to get done during the lame duck session, he added. China said Thursday that stable Sino-US ties were in the fundamental interest of both nations, after President Barack Obamas Democratic party took a beating in this weeks key mid-term elections. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comment when asked for reaction to the November 2 elections, which saw the Republicans take control of the US House of Representatives and make gains in the Senate. Obama called on the Senate to approve the landmark nuclear weapons deal this year, before a newly elected crop of skeptical Republican legislators take office. Obama appealed to the Republicans to help approve the treaty when Congress returns on November 15, after the party put up stiff opposition to the new deal fearing it could hamper US missile defense plans. This is not a traditionally Democratic or Republican issue, but, rather, an issue of American national security, Obama said at a cabinet meeting, two days after Republicans posted strong gains in congressional elections. Im hopeful that we can get that done... and send a strong signal to Russia that were serious about reducing nuclear arsenals, but also send a signal to the world that were serious about non-proliferation, Obama said. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also called Thursday for the Senate to approve the START treaty in its lame-duck session. We believe we have enough votes to pass it in the Senate. Its just a question of when it will be brought to the vote, Clinton told reporters during a visit to Wellington, New Zealand, during a tour of Asia. Russia has warned that the treaty could go back to the drawing board if the United States does not ratify it soon. After the US elections, the foreign affairs committee of the Duma, Russias parliament, withdrew its recommendation for the full assembly to approve the treaty. If the 'lame duck senators from the old make-up cannot do this in the next weeks, then the chances of ratification in the new Senate will be radically lower than they were until now, committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said. The new Congress takes office in January, with Republicans set to take control of the House of Representatives and to add members to the Senate. The next two months are known as a lame duck session, in which outgoing lawmakers often shy away from major legislation. But START faced uncertain prospects even in the current Congress. Under the US constitution, treaties need the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. The START treaty signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Obama at an elaborate ceremony in Prague in April restricts each nation to a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads, a cut of about 30 percent from a limit set in 2002. The treaty enjoys the support of Senator Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, along with several former Republican secretaries of state including Henry Kissinger. But a growing number of Republicans have voiced opposition, saying it would impede the US ability to set up missile defenses against potential threats such as Iran and does not account for a rising China. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is expected to seek the Republican nomination to run against Obama in 2012, has led the charge criticizing START.