Discussions between the legislatures of China and the US took place in Beijing on Monday, focusing on political and trade issues.

Jiang Enzhu, chairman of both the National People's Congress (NPC)'s Foreign Affairs Committee and the China-US Inter-parliamentary Exchange Group, said such exchanges are "effective" and have helped improve mutual understanding and friendship.

Donald A. Manzullo, chairman of the US-China Inter-parliamentary Exchange Group, co-chaired the dialogue with Jiang.

The talks, the seventh of their kind, were held between China's NPC and the House of Representatives of the US Congress, which set up an exchange mechanism in 1999.

Manzullo said both the US Democratic and Republican parties are interested in improving US-China relations, and he hoped his delegation's visit would further improve mutual understanding.

The US delegation will also go to southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2005)