U.S. President George W. Bush, at a White House press conference on Thursday, said the just- concluded China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue is "important" and there has been some progress achieved at the dialogue.

"This is an important dialogue. And it's one that I thank the Chinese government for engaging in," Bush said.

Bush said he met with Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi in the White House Oval Office on Thursday, and asked her to pass a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao that he appreciates China's willingness "to work with strategic dialogues in order to put in place the type of measures that reflect a complex relationship."

Bush also said that the United States values its relationship with China.

The president made the remarks after the second China-U.S. Strategic Economic Dialogue, co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson, concluded on Wednesday.

During the two-day closed-door talks in Washington, top economic officials from the two countries, including dozens of cabinet ministers, discussed topics covering areas of service, investment and transparency, energy and environment, as well as growth balance and innovation.

Both sides reached consensus on how to move forward in financial services, civil aviation, and energy and environment, and signed a number of specific agreements.

Source: Xinhua