Beijing, Washington underscore cooperation, constructive ties

China and the United States have agreed to promote a bilateral relationship featuring coordination and cooperation, according to official statements, after top foreign affairs officials and defense chiefs of the two countries concluded a dialogue on Friday.

The second round China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue in Washington saw in-depth exchanges of respective strategic intentions, in addition to wide-ranging discussions on topics including trade and the South China Sea.

Observers said the dialogue sends out a message that both China and the US seek to ease tensions arising from trade frictions so as to create a positive atmosphere for the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump, to be held on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which runs from Nov 30 to Dec 1.

The meeting was held after Xi and Trump had a phone conversation on Nov 1, in which they agreed to meet at the upcoming summit.