BEIJING - Rural health care, infectious diseases and an aging population are among key issues the US will bring up with China during talks this week aimed at strengthening cooperation, the top American health official said Wednesday.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said he would focus on those areas, along with regulatory cooperation and technical exchanges, as part of a high-level dialogue between China and the US that will also address trade, currency and other disputes. Leavitt is part of a Cabinet delegation led by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

"We're coming to have this dialogue not only because we believe it's good for the Chinese government but because we believe it's good for the United States for China to be a strong, vibrant, integrated, harmonious society," Leavitt told reporters.

"We want to see how we can be helpful because we will benefit economically if China is prosperous and their environment and their health care and their energy ... are sustainable," he said.

Leavitt said rural health care and the financing of medical costs - a challenge to both China and the US - is one of the priority areas he hopes to discuss during his weeklong visit.

Despite economic progress, China's health services, particularly in rural areas, have failed to keep up. President Hu Jintao's government has promised to increase spending in the countryside, including building up a solid health care system.

Leavitt also said he would discuss China's rapidly graying society, along with the importance of food safety and a safe supply of medicine. Counterfeit drugs and fake foods are common throughout the country and have caused mass illnesses and deaths.

Leavitt was due to meet Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart, Health Minister Gao Qiang.

Earlier, he attended an opening ceremony for a collaborative office between the Chinese and US centers for disease control and prevention.

The office will focus on infectious diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and bird flu, Leavitt said. It is part of a 2005 agreement on health cooperation.

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