(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) President Barack Obama urged China's Special Representatives to the US-China Strategic Economic Dialogue to take "concrete steps" to lower international tensions while both agreed to "further expand" cooperation on climate and clean energy.
The President met with the delegation that included Vice Premiers Liu Yandong and Wang Yang on Wednesday towards the close of a series of meetings over the past two days, a White House statement indicated. During this time, the US expressed concern over China's cyber and maritime behavior due to China's recent territorial claims in the South China Sea and the alleged cyber-attacks against American security.
Additionally the President expressed "support for China's efforts to reform and rebalance its economy, and for our ongoing bilateral investment treaty negotiations, while urging China to address major economic challenges in the areas of its currency, technology and investment policies," the statement affirmed.
At the close of the dialogue, Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed that the discussion over the cyber-attacks was an "honest discussion without accusations or finger-pointing, about the problem of cyber theft and whether or not it was sanctioned by government." China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi responded that the US needs to "respect the facts" over the grounds of cyber security and territorial integrity.
The State Department released a separate statement that highlighted cooperative outcomes from the dialogue which included; achieving a global climate agreement, conserving the ocean, strengthening global health security, supporting a untied Afghanistan, promoting stability in Iraq and Syria, and nuclear proliferation challenges posed by Iran and North Korea.
Treasury Secretary Jack Lew also noted at the dialogue's conclusion that the US China relationship will, "remain complicated because we are one of the two largest economies in the world." He added that the meetings had "a much higher level of engagement now than we started (6 years ago.)."
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