U.S. and China open annual dialogue with ‘candid, to-the-point’ talks

U.S. and Chinese diplomats launched “candid” talks on maritime disputes and cyber hacking Monday as Washington pledged to pull no punches in seeking to resolve simmering problems between the two world powers. About 400 Chinese officials have converged on Washington for the annual talks now in their seventh year being hosted by Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew. A senior State Department official said the security talks were the highest level exchanges between military and civilian leaders from both nations, as the world’s two leading economies seek to manage complicated ties.

While our countries disagree on many points, we recognize that there are many areas for mutually beneficial cooperation.

State Department spokesman John Kirby

The world’s two leading economies remain at odds over China’s claims to much of the South China Sea and Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to stop building artificial islands in the key waterway. But China said last month it will project its military power further beyond its borders at sea and more assertively in the air, defending the construction of the artificial islands. Ties have also strained over US accusations of cyber espionage and they “have continuing differences on the area of human rights as well,” the US official said.

Politics U.S. China