WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) - The United States and China will hold their annual high-level Strategic and Economic Dialogue meeting in Beijing sometime "around late May," a U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
The dialogue will be co-chaired on the U.S. side by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The Chinese side was led last year by State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Vice Premier Wang Qishan.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday he hoped the May meeting will be "very important" for defusing strains between the big nations on trade and currency concerns.
The countries often do not announce exact dates for the meeting until shortly beforehand for security reasons.
U.S. President Barack Obama is under pressure from Congress to formally label China as a currency manipulator in an April 15 Treasury Department report.
China, which denies it is manipulating its currency, has warned that could damage ties.
Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Zhong Shan is in Washington this week for talks at the U.S. Treasury Department, Commerce Department and the Trade Representative's office.
