China on Thursday vowed joint efforts with the United States to push for "substantial progress" out of the newly-upgraded Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama decided on Wednesday to establish the mechanism of "China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogues" during their meeting ahead of the London G20 summit.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the decision to upgrade the dialogue to cabinet level meant a new historic start for China-US relations, and reflected the growing importance of bilateral cooperation.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo will chair the 'Strategic Track' and US Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan will chair the 'Economic Track' of the dialogue, each as special representatives of their respective presidents.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2009)