China, US to hold first diplomatic and security dialogue in Washington

BEIJING -- China and the United States will hold their first diplomatic and security dialogue next Wednesday in Washington DC, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced here Friday.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi will co-chair the dialogue with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis, said spokesperson Lu Kang at a daily press briefing.

Fang Fenghui, a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, will also participate in the dialogue.

The two sides will exchange views on China-US relations and other issues of common concern, Lu said.

The diplomatic and security dialogue is one of four high-level mechanisms established during the Mar-a-Lago meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Florida in April.

The other three are dialogues on economics; law enforcement and cyber security; and on social, cultural and people-to-people exchange.