Plenty of jump in basketball diplomacy

WASHINGTON: With basketball in hand, Vice-Premier Wang Qishan found himself the center of attention at the end of the first round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue on Tuesday.

The basketball, complete with Barack Obama's autograph, was a gift from the US president and was viewed by the Chinese delegation as a symbol of the US government's hospitality and its gratitude to Chinese officials for agreeing to host the next dialogue, in Beijing.

During his closing speech, Dai, who co-hosted the 'Strategic Track,' hailed the "in-depth, broad, candid, and productive" discussions between the nations and expressed the Chinese delegation's appreciation of the work carried out by the US in hosting the dialogue.