U.S. - China Issues

STATEMENT ON BILATERAL MEETING WITH  PRESIDENT HU OF CHINA

President Obama, right, and Chinese President Hu Jintao meet during the G20 Summit.

On 1 April 2009, President Barack Obama of the United States and President Hu Jintao of China met on the sidelines of the G20 Financial Summit in London, the United Kingdom.  The two heads of state had an extensive exchange of views on U.S.-China relations and global issues of common interest, and reached the following points of agreement:

I. Toward Enhanced U.S.-China Relations

The two sides agreed to work together to build a positive, cooperative, and comprehensive U.S.-China relationship for the 21st century and to maintain and strengthen exchanges at all levels.  President Hu Jintao invited President Obama to visit China in the second half of this year, and President Obama accepted the invitation with pleasure. 

The two sides decided to establish the "U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo will chair the "Strategic Track" and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan will chair the "Economic Track" of the Dialogue, each as special representatives of their respective presidents.  The two sides will hold the first round of the dialogue in Washington DC this summer.  The two sides stated that they will continue to advance mutually beneficial cooperation in economics and trade through the mechanism of the high-level Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade. (complete text)