US, China open annual dialogue with 'candid, to-the-point' talks
The US and China held "candid and to-the-point" talks at the start of three days of cabinet-level meetings, aimed at managing the highly complex relationship between the world's two biggest economies, a senior US official said.
The US side, led on June 22 by Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, reiterated US concerns about China's pursuit of territorial claims in the East Sea, the official said.
US worries about cyber security following massive attacks on government computers that US officials have blamed on Chinese hackers would also be addressed "in very direct terms," the official said.
More than 400 Chinese officials are in Washington for the annual talks under the wide-ranging Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) framework, which will involve eight US cabinet secretaries.
The meetings come at a time of waning trust and widening differences between the two countries, even though they maintain robust economic ties worth US$590 billion in two-way trade last year.