President Obama opened a high-level meeting with Chinese officials today declaring that the United States and China share a joint responsibility for the 21st century and should strive to cooperate on key issues such as climate change, nuclear proliferation, transnational threats and the world economy.
“The pursuit of power among nations must no longer be seen as a zero-sum game,” he said at a meeting at the Ronald Reagan building co-chaired by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. “Progress — including security — must be shared.”
China has sent about 200 top officials to Washington for the two days of talks, led by State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Vice Premier Wang Qishan. Many members of Obama’s Cabinet will also join in the talks, which are an elevated version of a dialogue first started in the Bush administration. Obama laid out an ambitious agenda, calling for a “future when our nations are partners out of necessity, but also out of opportunity.”
Watch Obama’s remarks, via the Washington Post:
Read also:
– “Obama Opens Policy Talks With China” from the New York Times
– “US-China ties ‘to shape century’” from the BBC, which includes a video report
– “U.S.-China Meeting Renews the Dialogue” from the Washington Post
