The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue came to an end in Beijing on Tuesday.

During the two-day meeting, the U.S. and China reached agreements in 26 areas --- including energy, environment and technology --- but failed to agree on measures regarding North Korea’s sinking of the “Cheonan” naval ship.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said the Cheonan incident should be addressed appropriately in a cool-headed manner so that tensions on the Korean Peninsula will not further escalate.

Shortly before the strategic talks ended, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a briefing that dialogue is better than confrontation and that reconciliation is better than tension.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that with respect to North Korea, the United States and China share the goal of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. She added that now Beijing and Washington must work together again to address the serious challenge brought on by the sinking of the South Korean ship.