China and the United States have held their first dialogue on outer space safety in Washington.

China and U.S. holds the first dialogue on outer space safety in Washington on May 10, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua]

During the dialogue Tuesday the two sides exchanged views on issues such as outer space policy, bilateral cooperation on space safety and multilateral space initiatives.

The discussions were “pragmatic, in-depth and fruitful,” according to the Chinese delegation. The two sides agreed to hold the next dialogue before the end of the year.

The discussion was co-hosted by Wang Qun, director-general of the Department of Arms Control at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose.

Plans for such a meeting between both countries arose at the seventh China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue held last June in Washington.