The US State Department in Foggy Bottom in Washington looked quite different from the rest of the year early this week when the 7th China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue and 6th China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange were held there.

The hallway was decorated with posters full of Chinese characters welcoming the delegates. Chinese and American national flags flew side by side in major meeting rooms. The directions to the press center, restrooms and even a press smoking area were in English and Chinese. I even teased a State Department official about how they knew that journalists go through the same stress as diplomats and thus need the customary smoking break.

There was definitely no sign of hostility or confrontation in Foggy Bottom, unlike that seen in the media and among some pundits when it comes to the relationship between the world's two largest economies. Yes, sensitive issues such as the South China Sea disputes and cyber security remain to be resolved - and may need a lot of time to do so - yet the gathering of hundreds of people from the two countries to discuss a wide spectrum of bilateral issues showed that both want to work together to expand cooperation and manage differences, which is exactly the goal of the S&ED and CPE.