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. 

(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2005)