Opinion

Latest high-level China-US dialogue constructive

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-12 10:56

WASHINGTON - The third round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue is constructive and heading toward the right direction, said a US expert in a recent interview with Xinhua.

This round of dialogue is "reasonably effective" and can be seen as "a promising development," said Ted Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Washington-based Cato Institute.

China and the US wrapped up the two-day China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) here on Tuesday following comprehensive and productive discussions.

Carpenter noted that this round of dialogue got both sides away from focusing on narrow issues, such as "the whole currency evaluation issue," and instead put emphasis on a much broader discussion and mechanism of cooperation.

"I think it is useful to look at the big economic picture in terms of the economic relationship between China and the US, not focus on narrow topics," he said.

Carpenter also pointed out some constructive developments of the dialogue, such as the first strategic security dialogue.

"High-level Chinese military personnel are involved in the talks for the first time, and that is very important," he said.

He believed that this effort can help the two countries avoid "misunderstanding and miscalculations" in the military dimension.

Besides the first strategic security dialogue, China and the US also agreed to launch the Asia-Pacific consultation mechanism which is designed to foster positive interactions between the two countries in the region.

Commenting on this new mechanism, Carpenter said it opened up "a line of communication and discussion" on a wide range of security issues.

"That is all to the good because the whole point of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue is to broaden and deepen the level of communication between Chinese and US officials at the highest levels," he said.

"We can address sometimes contentious issues, but do so in a way that tries to manage the differences, and perhaps, solving some of them," he added.