U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that she and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo had "a lot of exchange of ideas" on the events occurring in the Middle East and North Africa.

"We exchanged impressions and views about how individual nations, as well as the region, is moving in the pressures for transition, for changes, for political and economic reform," Clinton told reporters at a press conference held right after the conclusion of the third-round of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) in Washington.

Clinton, who co-chaired the strategic part of the two-day dialogue with Dai, said that in their discussions, she pointed out that, starting in 2002, there were a series of reports done by Arab experts about the development of that region and how it had not kept up with the rest of the world, particularly Asia.

She said that she and Dai had "a lot of exchange of ideas" but it was very difficult to draw "any overall conclusions" as every nation and every region is different.

She expressed continued U.S. support for the people of the region, saying they are trying to realize their aspirations during the transition period.