US, China to hold regular talks
The meetings, which the US government has chosen to call a "global dialogue," will be headed by Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and will be held periodically, with the timing and frequency yet to be determined.
The place for the first meeting is also undecided with China favoring Beijing and the United States, Washington, the officials said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. A Chinese vice foreign minister will head the Chinese delegation at the regular meetings, which have never been held at such a senior level the officials said.
The talks both signify China's interest in the prestige of such sessions and Washington's efforts to come to terms with China's rising influence in Asia, the senior US officials said.
The US has chosen to call the talks a "global dialogue," the officials told the daily, to differentiate them from the "strategic dialogue" the US holds with its close allies.
US intentions to hold regular sessions with top Chinese officials were confirmed last month by US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, during a visit to Beijing, officials said.
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