On May 8, 2011, Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, special representatives of President Hu Jintao, arrived in Washington D.C., capital of the United States. They, together with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, special representatives of President Barack Obama, co-chaired the third round of China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).

The S&ED mechanism was established in April 2009 at the initiative of President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama. The first and second rounds of S&ED had been held in Washington D.C. and Beijing successively. The third round of S&ED will be held from May 9 to 10, 2011 in Washington D.C.