The China-U.S.Strategic and Economic Dialogue.docVIP

The China-U.S.Strategic and Economic Dialogue 　　ZHOU Wenzhong took up the post of China’s ambassador to the United States in 2005 and soonafter that preparatory work began for the launchof the China-U. S. Strategic Economic Dialogue.During his five years in the post the ambassador witnessedthe evolution and development of this dialogue. Now, theChina-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (SED) hasbecome an important platform to promote Sino-Americanrelations in a new era. On the eve of the third round of theChina-U. S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue, taking placein the U.S.in May 2011, China Today interviewed formerambassador Zhou Wenzhong. 　　 　　A High-level Dialogue Mechanism 　　 　　The China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue started in2006, but when President Barack Obama came to office in2009 this mechanism was merged with the China-U.S.Strategic Dialogue to form the China-U.S.Strategic and EconomicDialogue. 　　In July 2006 Zhou Yongkang, then State Councilor andMinister of Public Security, visited the United States and heldtalks with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureauof Investigation, and the White House Office of National DrugControl Policy. At that time, Henry Paulson was taking overfrom John Snow as Treasury Secretary, and said he wanted tomeet with Zhou Yongkang. The ambassador was puzzled as towhy a U.S. treasury secretary should wish to meet a Chineseleader in charge of political and legal affairs. 　　 When the two did meet Paulson got straight to the point:President Bush has authorized me to handle U.S.-China economic relations on behalf of the American government. Hesuggested that the two governments conduct strategic dialogues on the issues of economy and trade. It was Paulson’sview that many problems existed in bilateral relations in thesedimensions. The China-U.S. Joint Commission on Commerceand Trade (JCCT) was cooperative, but many problems laybeyond its scope, and so another mechanism was needed tohandle them. 　　Paulson being