US President Barack Obama will address the opening session of the Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue next Monday, a White House official said on Tuesday.

"President Obama will address the opening session of the first US-China strategic and economic dialogue on Monday, July 27," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters at the daily press briefing.

The dialogue will be held in Washington, D.C. from July 27 to 28. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasure Secretary Timothy Geithner will be joined for the dialogue by their respective Chinese Co-Chairs, State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Vice Premier Wang Qishan.

The dialogue will focus on addressing the challenges and opportunities that both countries face on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global areas of immediate and long-term strategic and economic interests.

The first meeting of the dialogue will also set the stage for intensive, ongoing and future bilateral cooperative mechanism.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2009)