8th U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue kicks off in Beijing

Top diplomats from the U.S. and China will sit down for talks in Beijing today,... amid rising tensions over North Korea and the South China Sea. Both sides have reiterated the importance to resolve issues in a peaceful manner,... but a long tug-of-war is expected of the talks. Kim Hye-sung takes a look at what's at stake. The eighth U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue started with an opening address by Chinese President Xi Jin-ping,... who emphasized the importance of U.S.-China cooperation and its contribution to the stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world. The U.S. delegation, led by Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, will join their Chinese counterparts, State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang, for the two-day meeting that started Monday. At the opening ceremony, Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the three main agendas --the South China Sea, North Korea and trade. China's build up of military bases on reclaimed islets in the South China Sea has been a contentious issue between the two countries, with the U.S. sending warships and aircraft carriers to the region. North Korea is another thorny issue. A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and top North Korean diplomat Ri Su-yong on June 1st took Washington by surprise, and the U.S. is expected to continue pressing China to impose stronger sanctions on the North. Trade is also on the agenda. Just after China's bilateral talks with North Korea last week, the U.S. Commerce Department issued a subpoena to Chinese tech company Huawei Technologies to investigate whether it broke U.S. export controls by trading with North Korea and four other countries. This was seen as a warning to China, and experts believe Washington will use similar moves to push for further changes in China's currency controls and curbs on industrial output. The Security Dialogue between the U.S. and China has been held every year since 2009, and wraps up on Tuesday. Kim Hye-sung, Arirang News Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS): http://www.facebook.com/newsarirang Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/arirangtv Twitter: http://twitter.com/arirangworld Instagram: http://instagram.com/arirangworld