China and the United States conducted their first strategic talks in Beijing, focusing to raise transparency and enhancing bilateral relations.

The closed-door dialogue, the first of its kind since the two countries forged diplomatic ties 26 years ago, was co-chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who arrived here on Sunday.

During a whole day of discussions starting from 9 a.m. on Monday, both sides exchanged views "in a candid and in-depth manner," according to a press release from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

No detailed information is available about the dialogue. But the two sides have agreed to hold the second strategic dialogue in the United States months later.

Both sides agreed the dialogue was constructive and helpful to improving mutual understanding, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry press release.

The two sides reiterated that the long-term, healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations is in the interests of both nations and peoples, it added.

The Monday dialogue came as a result of the 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 may take place twice a year.

The two countries would actively implement the consensus reached between their leaders and push forward their constructive relations of cooperation by increasing dialogue, building mutual trust, promoting cooperation and handling differences properly, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry official who asked not to be identified.
China calls the meeting a "strategic dialogue" while the United States refers to it as a "senior dialogue."

The two countries may have had discussions on such issues as diplomacy, economics, security and international affairs, including the thorny Taiwan issue, said Liu Jiangyong, a researcher with the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The dialogue has brought Sino-US relations to a new height, following the recent frequent exchange of high-level visits between the two countries, said Liu.

During his brief stopover in Hong Kong on Saturday, Zoellick said he would discuss "strategic issues of common interest" like foreign policy and economics with senior Chinese officials in Beijing.

The two nations tend to prefer negotiations to confrontations in tackling their conflicts and differences on the rhetoric of "China threat", textile disputes and intellectual property rights (IPR).

Zoellick said that his discussions with the 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."

Frictions between the two countries are inevitable as they keep deepening cooperation and exchange in various fields, said Liu, the Tsinghua researcher. However, the high-level dialogue will help eliminate strategic misjudgment and push forward bilateral relations in a healthy, mature and mutually-beneficial manner, Liu added.
Zoellick is another important member of the Bush administration to visit China within a month, following US 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 United States last week, to discuss the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue with the American side and make preparations for Chinese President Hu Jintao''s US visit scheduled for September.

The constructive relationship of cooperation between China and the United States will continue to grow through increasing dialogue, building mutual trust, promoting cooperation and handling differences properly, said Tang in his meeting with Rice last Wednesday.

The United States attaches importance to high-level exchanges and dialogue between the two countries, which is helpful for the two sides to have an in-depth exchange of views on major world and regional issues, Rice said.

The Monday dialogue coincided with the fourth round of the six-party talks on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue now underway in Beijing, which is regarded as an important area of cooperation for the two countries.

The new round of six-party talks entered an unprecedented seventh day on Monday in Beijing, as negotiators are working hard on the first ever joint statement from the talks.