Grossman said China's perpetual security concern is reflected in its proposal that the USA and South Korea "freeze" routine joint exercises in exchange for Pyongyang suspending its missile and nuclear programs.
Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (1st R) co-chairs a diplomatic and security dialogue with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (1st L) and Secretary of Defense James Mattis (2nd L) as Fang Fenghui (2nd R), a member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, also participates in the dialogue in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 21, 2017.
On North Korea, the U.S.is looking for China to "change the calculus" of the isolated regime and exert its leverage as North Korea's largest trading partner.
The dialogue was one of four high-level mechanisms announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump during their first meeting in Florida in April.
US officials say they welcome actions by countries that have ramped up pressure on Pyongyang, including phasing out the use of North Korean laborers, and denying the landing rights and refueling privileges of North Korea's national airline Air Koryo. The plan has already produced agreements for China to buy USA beef and natural gas.
"The next step is to import a huge volume of agricultural goods", Wei Jianguo, a former Chinese trade official who is now a senior figure at a state-supported think tank, told foreign reporters in Beijing on Monday.
Geng said bilateral and worldwide issues would be taken up during the dialogue, which will be led on the USA side by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.
The US is trying to create a "global echo chamber" where all countries get behind the United Nations Security Council resolutions that address North Korea's illicit weapons programmes, she said.
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While the staging of two-plus-two meetings is fairly common between USA secretaries of state and defence and their counterparts among Western allies, observers noted that this is the first time Beijing has agreed to have this kind of in-depth, usually issues-driven talks with Washington. The Trump administration has altered the format, so that economic ties have their own session.
Huang Jing, of the National University of Singapore, said that as China's worldwide clout has grown over the years, Beijing's security interests have expanded markedly to cover regions beyond Asia-Pacific, and especially as it pushes its ambitious Belt and Road trade and infrastructure initiative. There also are separate tracks for law enforcement and cyber issues, as well as another for cultural exchange.
But tensions remain - particularly over China's building of artificial islands in disputed South China Sea waters - and the White House dearly wants Beijing to rein in Kim Jong-Un's isolated North Korean regime.
Mr. Trump frequently used heated rhetoric toward China while campaigning for president, but has moderated his tone, particularly after meeting with Mr. Xi, and has linked together the trade and security relationships with China.
China said the incident is unfortunate and is urging a resumption of long stalled talks between the north, the US and regional partners.
It is unlikely that the task will result in concrete solutions to the problem at hand, but will be helpful in fostering stronger connections between the U.S. and China.
-Josh Chin in Beijing contributed to this article.
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