BEIJING - As leading officials from the world's two largest economies meet next week, "strategic security" and "investment" might become key phrases dominating the third round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue to be held in Washington.

Analysts say that the two topics will move up on the bilateral dialogue agenda against the backdrop that China and the United States are committed to working together to build a cooperative partnership based upon mutual respect and mutual benefit.

The two-day meeting will be co-chaired by Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, with some 30 top officials of over 20 government agencies from each side in attendance.

"The Strategic and Economic Dialogue works as a thermometer to measure the partnership," said Zhu Feng, a professor from Peking University, adding that the more fruitful the talks are, the healthier the bilateral relationship is and the brighter prospect there will be for the ties.

According to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai, the two countries will launch their first "strategic security dialogue" under the framework of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue slated for Monday and Tuesday. Military officials, for the first time, will take part in the security talks.

The launch of the "strategic security dialogue" and inclusion of military officials into the talks is an innovation for the dialogue mechanism, observers say, indicating that China and the United States acknowledge they share some common ground and are ready to work together to address problems in terms of strategic security.

Ni Feng, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that talks on strategic security help to build mutual trust in each other and minimize misreadings and misunderstandings, while steering the bilateral ties in a stable direction.

"Besides bilateral concerns, the two countries can also hold dialogues on anti-terrorism, non-proliferation and regional stability, among others, to advance the China-US partnership toward a higher phase," Ni said.

Investment is expected to be another hot topic during the once-a-year Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

At a press briefing prior to next week's dialogue, Chinese vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao said China would raise the issue of discrimination against Chinese investors in the United States.

"As the US government continues to request accessibility to Chinese markets for its firms, we now raise a similar request on behalf of Chinese firms," Zhu said, adding that the mutual requests indicate that China and the United States have confidence in each other's development.

"We have received many complaints from Chinese companies that have met discrimination as they try to invest in the United States, even though the US side has repeatedly stated that Chinese companies are welcome," Zhu said.

Lin Shunjie, deputy secretary general of the China Chamber of International Commerce, echoed Zhu's remarks, quoting the failure of Huawei to acquire the assets of 3Leaf Systems, a small US company. Huawei, China's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, withdrew from an agreement to buy the assets in February under pressure from a US panel over "security concerns."

"Furthermore, US competitors tend to use legal and technical barriers, which they are adept at, to make trouble for Chinese enterprises (that try to enter the US market)," he added.

"In comparison with the US environment for Chinese firms, China provides US enterprises with a much better environment," he added.

China's investment in the United States will help to create jobs, which is, of course, beneficial for the largest world economy that struggles with high unemployment rates, Ni said.

The investment will also bind China and the United States together more tightly and ensure more stable bilateral ties between the two countries, he added.