The U.S. and China just completed the 8th meeting of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue. Both countries found common ground on issues including strategic, environmental, and humanitarian matters.
A top agenda item was North Korea. The United States and China condemned North Korea's January 6, 2016 nuclear test and subsequent launches using ballistic missile technology and called on North Korea to cease taking actions contrary to its United Nations obligations to denuclearize.
The U.S. and China agreed to promote the implementation of the Paris global climate agreement and bring it into force as soon as possible.
With regard to protecting the oceans, the United States and China agreed to work together and with other governments to complete negotiations on an agreement to prevent unregulated commercial fishing in the central Arctic Ocean.
In order to enhance global nuclear security, the U.S. and China decided to explore expanding cooperation on countering nuclear smuggling.
On the humanitarian front, the U.S. and China agreed to increase their support for the Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons through the U.N., Red Cross, Red Crescent, and their partners and to continue providing support for Iraqi refugees and internally displace persons.
In Africa, the two countries decided to accelerate cooperation with the African Union and its member states to launch the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. and China will also increase their contributions to countries adversely affected by El Nino, particularly in the Horn of Africa, through the World Food Program.
The U.S. and China decided to explore new areas of development cooperation in Afghanistan and food security in Timor Leste and Africa.
Both sides also agreed to promote responsible mineral supply chain practices in the African Great Lakes region.
This annual dialogue, said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, offers the U.S. and China an opportunity "to lead in the direction of stability, prosperity, and peace. And it is up to us and to our successors to ensure that America and China are more partners than rivals, more in agreement than disagreement about the rule of law, more in harmony than at odds over priorities, and more confident with each passing year in each other's intentions."