U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has opened his home in Boston to China's top diplomat for two days of talks aimed at warming Sino-U.S. ties ahead of a bilateral summit next month.
Chinese and U.S. officials say the talks with State Councilor Yang Jiechi will cover a broad range of global issues, including nuclear negotiations with Iran, and protests in Hong Kong. Officials say the agenda also is likely to include the Ebola outbreak and the fight against Islamic State extremists in Iraq, where China has significant energy interests.
Kerry met in Washington earlier this month with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Those talks highlighted differences over Hong Kong's ongoing pro-democracy demonstrations.
U.S. President Barack Obama and China's President Xi Jinping are set to meet November 12 in Beijing after a meeting of leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Forum.
