5th S&ED: From Sunnylands to Washington DC

CRI, July 8, 2013

This year's China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue comes on the heels of last month's summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama in California.

The meeting in Sunnylands, California, saw the two leaders draw a blueprint for China-U.S. relations, with both leaders saying they're committed to building a new type of relationship.

The forthcoming dialogue is designed to try to build on the concensus reached at last month's summit.

The S-and-ED will be co-chaired on the Chinese side by Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.

The US will be represented by Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

Both sides will have large delegations representing various government agencies.

Ambassador Cui Tiankai says a wide range of issues will be addressed, including cyber security, climate change, Asia-Pacific cooperation and economic cooperation.

"This reflects the width of the many issues that need close cooperation and coordination between our two countries. And such collaboration has been extended to new areas as more working groups are added to address emerging issues. For example, the cyber security working group will hold its first discussion this year and the climate change working group is also a new element to the Dialogue. And I suspect there will be more in the future as we encounter new issues."

Bilateral trade and investment cooperation is also expected to be a major focus of the forthcoming session.

Cui Tiankai says it's the Chinese government hopes the U.S. will provide a fair and transparent environment for Chinese investment.

"The Chinese business is eager to invest in the United States. And the U.S. at the same time also needs and welcomes foreign investment in many fields. So there is this complementary situation and looks like it shall be a win-win case. However, Chinese businesses have encountered some obstacles and frankly speaking these obstacles have nothing to do with business activities, but largely political ones. How to clear these hurdles? I think both sides should make concrete efforts, the sooner the better."