Premier Wen
Jiabao on Sunday met with US Deputy Secretary of State Robert
B. Zoellick who is in Beijing for a first China-US strategic
dialogue scheduled to begin on Monday.
The meeting lasted over one hour and a half. The Ministry of
Foreign Affairs said the two exchanged views on Sino-US relations
and international issues of common concern. No details were
given.
Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo was also present at the
meeting. Dai will co-chair the two-day dialogue, according to
ministry sources.
The dialogue is a result of a consensus reached between Chinese
President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush during the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Chile last
year.
The dialogue is the first of its kind between the two countries.
The plan is hold it twice a year with China and the US taking turns
as hosts.
Observers in Beijing said such high-level talks are necessary as
they provide a platform for reviewing and studying bilateral ties
from a strategic perspective.
They predicted that the Taiwan question and the Sino-Japanese
relationship would be high on the agenda.
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(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2005)