BRUSSELS - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will discuss international and bilateral issues of common concern with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo at the strategic talks due to be held in Budapest on Thursday.

"Ashton plans to consolidate further the EU's increasingly important foreign and security policy relationship with China during her discussions with State Councilor Dai -- China's highest- ranking foreign policy official," said an EU press release.  

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"This dialogue reflects the high importance that the EU and I personally attach to the EU-China strategic partnership," said Ashton ahead of the meeting.

"The EU-China Strategic Dialogue has enabled us to address in a systematic and real way, key global issues that are of importance for both the EU and China," she said.

China and Europe are key players in international relations and China's emergence on the global stage is impressive, said the foreign policy chief.

"Already today our partnership goes beyond bilateral relations and our goal is to work together on issues of global interest and concern," she said.

The meeting in Budapest is an important staging post in preparations for the next EU-China summit later this year. Discussions will focus on international developments -- in particular the events in North Africa and the Arab world -- and various bilateral issues including global economy and climate change.

Dai and Ashton co-chaired the first round of the dialogue in Southwest China's Guizhou province last year.