The Inaugural Sino-American Dialogue on Rule of Law and Human Rights opened Saturday in Nantong, a city in eastern Jiangsu Province.

The two-day event is jointly organized by the China Foundation for Human Rights Development (CFHRD) and National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR) of the United States.

"The dialogue is a sign of increasing exchange between the non-governmental organizations," said Huang Mengfu, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, at the opening ceremony.

"It will play a positive role in the development of the human rights in both countries," said Huang, who is also the chairman of the CFHRD.

"We believe these discussions we are commencing today can lead to a stronger and more productive U.S.-China relations," said Senior Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit John M. Walker who was on behalf of the president of the NCUSCR Stephen A. Orlins. "We hope that this is the beginning of the long and fruitful cooperation."

More than 20 Chinese representatives from the governmental bodies and universities including the Supreme People's Court and Tsinghua University and several law firms are attending the event with more than 10 U.S. counterparts from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and Yale University.