US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte began two days of talks with China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported. The meeting between these second-ranking diplomats is the fourth session in the US-China Senior Dialogue. The US was expected to take the opportunity to push for Beijing's support in persuading Iran to end its nuclear program and urging Sudan to stop the violence in its Darfur region. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the talks would also cover other political, military and human rights matters. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told members of Congress on Wednesday that the Bush administration would continue to press Beijing on currency reform. Appearing before the House of Representatives' Committee on Financial Services, Paulson also stressed that open trade has benefited the US economy and warned against targeting China with protectionist measures.
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