The fourth round of a strategic dialogue between China and the United States began in Washington on Wednesday, with the agenda set to be dominated by bilateral relations and frank discussions on global issues of concerning both powers.

The two delegations are led respectively by Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who will co-chair the two-day event.

This dialogue mechanism, based upon the 2004 consensus reached between Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush, is an important pulpit which the two can avail themselves of for strategic and political discussion. The third dialogue was held in Beijing last November.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2007)