BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Premier Wen Jiabao met on Sunday with US Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick, who is in Beijing for the first China-US strategic dialogue slated for Monday.

    Wen and Zoellick talked for over one hour and a half. The Foreign Ministry said they exchanged views on Sino-US relations and international issues of common concern. No details were available.

    Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo was present at the talks. Dai will co-chair Monday's strategic dialogue, according to ministry sources.

    The dialogue is a result of the consensus reached between Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Chile last year.

    During the two-day dialogue, Dai and Zoellick are expected to exchange views on bilateral ties and other important international and regional issues of common concern.

   This is the first regular senior level meeting of its kind, and is expected to be held twice a year with Beijing and Washington taking turns as hosts.

    Observers in Beijing said it is necessary to establish such high-level talks, to provide a platform to review and study bilateral ties from a strategic perspective.

   They predicted that the Taiwan question and the Sino-Japanese relationship would be high on the agenda. Enditem