High-level Obama-Xi talks start

US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping met Friday evening for informal talks to chart the future of the US-China relationship at an estate in southern California, dpa reported.

They are expected to discuss a range of issues from stabilization of their strategic rivalry to trade relations and North Korea's nuclear programme.

The White House hopes the talks at the former Annenberg family estate in Rancho Mirage, a desert resort east of Los Angeles, will offer an informal setting conducive to success.

"There are certainly some areas of competition, economic competition is probably among the most important of those. But what we want to do is we want to examine this relationship and see if there are broader opportunities for us to expand those issues in which we cooperate, presidential spokesman Josh Earnest said.

As they try to forge a new type of "great power" relationship, stumbling blocks such as US accusations of cyberattacks on military infrastructure and piracy of goods could revive mistrust.

The talks over two days will address a "broad agenda that touches on issues that are directly relevant to the US people," a White House official said, pointing to economic issues, North Korea and cybersecurity.

Cyberattacks are a growing concern to the US public after a recent government report alleged attacks from China on military and business infrastructure. Last week, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called the attacks a serious military concern that needs to be addressed urgently.

US officials hope the issue won't dominate the talks, pointing to other issues such as North Korea's nuclear issues, territorial disputes in the region and US concerns about human rights in China. Obama also hopes to learn more about domestic economic reforms planned by Xi.


/Trend/