By Shannon Tiezzi

June 26, 2015

"The seventh U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) closed in Washington, D.C. yesterday, after two days of meetings. The dialogue brought together U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi on the strategic track and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang on the economic track. The two sides tried to avoid controversy in their public remarks, attempting to put a positive spin on a relationship increasingly marked by tensions.

In his closing remarks, Kerry was upbeat, calling this year's S&ED 'one of the more constructive and productive in terms of the seriousness of the discussion that we've had on a very long, comprehensive agenda.' He went further still, directly rebutting the perception of many analysts that the relationship is actively declining: 'I don't think you heard in the four people who were sitting here a little while ago any scintilla, not one tiny piece of an indication of a downward spiral.'"

Read more:
http://thediplomat.com/2015/06/us-china-strategic-and-economic-dialogue-putting-on-a-brave-face/

NISCSS does not necessarily share in or endorse the opinions of off-site commentators.