US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will travel to China at the
end of this week to discuss the China-US Strategic Economic
Dialogue (SED), according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.
"As special representative of the US President, Paulson will
visit China from July 29 to August 1 to exchange views on the
process of the SED," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
announced on Thursday.
Chinese President Hu Jintao would meet with Paulson and Vice
Premier Wu Yi would hold talks with him as Hu's special
representative, Liu said.
This will be Paulson's second visit to China this year,
following his brief tour in March.
Paulson will also travel to the country's northwest Qinghai
Province to see environmental protection programs.
"This trip is part of an ongoing process to strengthen our
strategic economic relationship -- to address long-term issues such
as working with China to rebalance its growth and increase the
flexibility of its currency, and also to address short-term issues
as they arise," Paulson said in the statement issued by the US
Treasury Department.
The twice-yearly SED, launched by Wu and Paulson in Beijing in
September last year, serves as a platform to discuss long-term,
strategic and comprehensive issues in the bilateral trade
relationship.
The third SED will be held in Beijing in December.
(Xinhua News Agency July 26 2007)
