The United States and China will hold strategic economic talks in Washington on Monday and Tuesday to discuss trade imbalances, climate change and cooperation on the North Korean nuclear issue.

The bilateral talks between the two nations will be the first since President Barack Obama took office and will be expanded to include national security issues. Talks with China under the Bush administration were limited to the economy.

A U.S. State Department official told a news briefing Friday that considerable time will be spent discussing North Korea during the talks with China.

Beijing has sent a massive 150-member delegation to the talks.