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China, U.S. hold strategic talks

BEIJING: China and the United States started their first strategic dialogue in Beijing on Monday, aiming to facilitate bilateral relations.

The closed-door dialogue, first senior level meeting of its kind, was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met Mr. Zoellick on Sunday, and exchanged views on bilateral and international issues, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry. Mr. Zoellick said in Hong Kong on Sunday he would discuss "strategic issues of common interest" like foreign policy and economics with Chinese officials in Beijing.

The dialogue came as a result of the consensus reached between Chinese President Hu Jintao and his American counterpart George W. Bush during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Chile last year.

The dialogue may take place twice a year. It is a new height in Sino-U.S. relations, following recent frequent high-level visits and exchanges between the two countries. The two nations tend to prefer negotiations to confrontations in tackling their conflicts and differences.

Beijing and Washington have agreed to continue their consultations to seek solution to the textile trade dispute as the U.S. imposed limits on Chinese clothing on accusation of a surge of exports. The annual session of the Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) was held on July 11 in Beijing. The two sides agreed to set up cooperation mechanisms on prosecutions for intellectual property rights violations and on the protection of film copyrights.

Mr. Zoellick said the discussions with Chinese officials would enable the two countries "to get a better sense of one another's interests: where there are points of mutuality — and I believe there are many; how to work cooperatively; but also, where we have differences, how best to try to manage them."

Mr. Zoellick is another important member of the Bush administration to visit China within a month, following Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Trade Representative Rob Portman, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns. Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan visited the U.S. last week, to discuss the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and make preparations for Mr. Hu's U.S. visit in September.

The constructive relationship of cooperation will continue to grow through increasing dialogue, building mutual trust, promoting cooperation and handling differences properly, said Mr. Tang at a meeting with Dr. Rice last Wednesday. — Xinhua

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