China, U.S. to hold strategic talksJuly 27, 2009 - 16:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The first meeting of the Obama administration's US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue is due to get underway in Washington.U.S. President Barack Obama is due to address the two-day meeting, to which China has sent Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councillor Dai Bingguo. China is worried about the value of the US dollar. It holds huge amounts of US debt - more than $800bn (£486bn) of U.S. Treasury securities alone. It fears President Obama's stimulus spending will stoke inflation in the United States, eroding the value of the dollar, making the U.S. debt China holds a lot less. At these talks the U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will be seeking to soothe those fears. He has already tried to reassure the Chinese their assets will be protected. But China is not convinced. U.S. manufacturers complain they cannot compete fairly with their Chinese competitors. Some accuse Beijing of deliberately devaluing its currency to make its exports seem cheaper. China is unlikely to concede any ground on this point. GDP growth might be picking up here but the country's exporters are still struggling. China and the U.S. are well aware they need each other. Their economies are bound together tightly. That does not mean they always agree when it comes to trade for example - far from it - but it does mean they accept the need to sort out problems in forums like this, BBC reports. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |