The first China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue kicks off in Washington, the United States, on Monday.

The following are the key facts about the dialogue:

China and the United States have established dozens of consultation mechanisms in a bid to enhance communication and cooperation in various fields.

China-US Strategic Dialogue and China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue, the two major such mechanisms, have played an important role in strengthening their bilateral ties.

China-US Strategic dialogue, initiated by Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush in 2004, has been held for six times.

China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue was inaugurated by US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi in Beijing in September 2006. The dialogue, which took place twice a year, has been held for five times.

Since the establishment of the two mechanisms, China and the United States have conducted effective dialogues on issues of strategic importance.

The constantly developing China-US relations and the changing of international situations have made it an urgent task to further the cooperation and communication between the two countries.

On April 1, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his US counterpart Barack Obama agreed to establish the mechanism of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue during their first meeting in London on the sidelines of the G20 financial summit.

Compared with previous cooperative mechanisms, the new one, covering a broader range of topics, will see more in-depth talks between the two sides.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2009)