Chinese and American military representatives will join the annual high level China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) next week for the first time since the dialogue's inception two years ago, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell revealed during a press conference on Thursday.

On May 9 and 10, Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo will co-chair the third round of the S&ED with their respective US counterparts of Geithner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

They will touch on a broad range of topics in economics and regional issues. The agenda on the strategic side will include the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula and in Iran as well as Sudan, and the recent turmoil in the Middle East, Campbell said.

On the economic side, the Americans will focus on Chinese currency exchange rate, intellectual property protection, market access and China's financial system reforms, said David Loevinger, Senior Coordinator and Executive Secretary for China and the S&ED at the Department of the Treasury, who co-chaired the press conference.