China on Wednesday urged the Vatican to adopt a flexible and pragmatic policy toward bilateral ties, after Pope Francis extended Chinese New Year wishes to President Xi Jinping and the Chinese people.

"China is sincere about improving relations with the Vatican and has made consistent efforts … We also hope the Vatican takes a flexible and pragmatic attitude and create conditions to improve bilateral relations," Lu Kang, spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a Wednesday press briefing.

In an interview with Hong Kong-based Asia Times on Tuesday, Pope Francis extended his wishes and greetings to the Chinese president and people, ahead of the Chinese New Year, which falls on February 8 this year.

The interview was recorded in the Vatican last week when a Chinese delegation was reportedly on a visit to the Holy See, according to The Huffington Post. Citing a recent article in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, The Huffington Post said that China would accept the pontiff's choice of new bishops from a list approved by Chinese authorities, under a deal "reached between the two sides."

Public speculation rose over a China-Vatican deal on bishop consecration when Coadjutor Bishop Zhang Yinlin was consecrated at a Catholic church in Anyang, Henan Province in August 2015. Zhang was believed to be the first bishop recognized by both Beijing and the Holy See since 2012 when consecration of some bishops without the Vatican's approval soured ties.

"It could become a 'Chinese model' for both sides to explore ways to appoint bishops in China," Yan Kejia, director of the Institute of Religious Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

The "Chinese model" may be different from the "Vietnamese model," under which bishops nominated by both the Vatican and Vietnam are selected and approved by the Holy See. China may want more say in bilateral cooperation with the Vatican in bishop ordination, according to Liu Guopeng, an associate research fellow at the Institute of World Religion Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"It is unlikely that the two countries would return to an indifferent attitude toward each other, as the Cold War mentality has been abandoned. China has realized the necessity to integrate and actively interact with the international community. The two significant powers both share the responsibility in promoting world peace and stability, which also provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation," Liu noted.

The foreign ministry did not comment on the possibility of a long-anticipated visit to China by Pope Francis. However, Liu said leaders of the two countries, sharing similarly strong political charisma and promoting bold and resolute reforms, may lead to surprising and promising results.