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

Source: NNA