U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for the fourth round of the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED).

Clinton and Geithner, as special representatives of U.S. President Barack Obama, will join Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo, the special representatives of President Hu Jintao, to co-chair the annual dialogue from Thursday to Friday.

Officials said the chiefs of more than 20 government agencies on both sides will attend the gathering.

The S&ED, initiated in 2009, aims to advance the construction of the China-U.S. bilateral cooperative partnership, deepen communication and coordination on macroeconomic policies and major issues in the world economy, boost economic and trade cooperation and enhance communication on international and regional affairs.

During her stay in Beijing, Clinton will also co-chair the 3rd U.S.-China High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchanges with State Councilor Liu Yandong. The event will be held alongside the S&ED.