US Treasury Secretary Geithner calls China finance minister

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has spoken to China’s finance minister Xie Xuren, signaling that high-level economic dialogue between the two countries will continue, Reuters reported. "The two officials affirmed the need for continued high level dialogue between appropriate counterparts on both sides to make progress on key economic issues of mutual interest," the Treasury said in a statement issued on Wednesday. Geithner on Sunday called Vice Premier Wang Qishan to emphasize the need for close dialogue and cooperation. Geithner’s predecessor, Henry Paulson, had established a series of high-level economic meetings between China and the US known as the "Strategic Economic Dialogue", which some economists say contributed to the gradual rise of China’s currency against the dollar. Geithner stirred controversy earlier by saying China was manipulating its currency.