US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns (L) shakes hand with China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo(R) during a meeting at the Zhongnanhai leaders compound in Beijing.October 30, 2011
US, China discuss financial recovery
Washington: US and Chinese diplomats discussed ways the world's top two economies could promote balanced growth and a recovery from the global financial recession, the State Department said Saturday.
During a Thursday-Saturday visit in Beijing with senior Chinese officials, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns also discussed the countries' priorities for major upcoming international meetings, including the G20 Summit next week, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and East Asia Summit in November.
Continues ...
Burns "underscored the importance of efforts by both the United States and China to promote global economic recovery and balanced growth, and to enhance security, stability and growth in Asia," the State Department said.
The US and Chinese diplomats also "discussed ways in which the two countries can work together" on regional and international challenges in places like Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran and the Middle East.
Burns discussed human rights and land disputes between China and rival Taiwan on the South China Sea, according to the statement.
China claims all of the South China Sea, including hundreds of Spratly islands and reefs. Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia and the Philippines claim all or part of the Spratlys, which could lie on top of large oil reserves.
Washington has recently expressed concerns that rival claimants to the disputed islands are building up their arms.
Senior officials have also showed disapproval over the human rights situation in China, after Beijing launched one of its biggest crackdown on dissent in years in response to the wave of pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Burns and the Chinese diplomats "agreed on the importance to our two countries of maintaining positive bilateral relations, while also addressing ways in which the United States and China could build strategic trust and avoid misunderstandings and misperceptions," the statement read.
National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Daniel Russel and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Kin Moy joined Burns for the talks.
Burns met with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, the Communist Party's international department chief Wang Jiarui, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun, Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of general staff, the statement read.
link
