China and Britain launched their first high level strategic dialogue?in Beijing?Wednesday.

Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo and British Foreign Secretary William Hague co-chaired the meeting, which was also the first of its kind since the new British government took office.

The two countries used to conduct their strategic dialogues at a vice foreign minister-level. The mechanism was lifted to a higher level during former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's visit to China in March.