Premier Wen meets former high ranking US government officials

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Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has met with a group of former high ranking US government officials, including former US Secretarys of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz.

They're in China to attend the first high-level meeting between the two countries on the bi-track diplomacy level. Kissinger and former Chinese minister of Foreign Affairs, Tang Jiaxuan, head up each delegation. Premier Wen Jiabao says cooperation and mutual trust between China and the United State benefits both countries. He hopes they can use the bi-track dialogue as a platform to further cement bilateral ties. Kissinger says the past 30 years have proved that a healthy Sino-US relationship is very important.

It helps to build a peaceful world and to tackle global challenges. They are willing to contribute more to the bilateral relations through the dialogue. Bi-track diplomacy is also referred to as "citizen diplomacy". It's the interaction of private citizens or retired officials who are interested in peace building, negotiations and conflict resolution.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) holds an umbrella  for former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger  against the rain to see him off after a meeting in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 12, 2009. Kissinger  and his delegation came to Beijing for the inaugural China-U.S. Track Two High-Level Dialogue, which  gathered dozens of retired eminent diplomats and  officials from both countries.(Xinhua/Yao Dawei)