Factbox: Strategic and political issues at U.S.-China talks

(Reuters) - Senior U.S. and Chinese officials will grapple with the vast and sometimes contentious relationship between the two countries in two days of talks in Washington, D.C., starting Monday.

As well as discussing economic concerns, they will talk about foreign policy, security and political issues, including North Korea and human rights. Here is an explanation of the strategic and political issues up for discussion at the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

NORTH KOREA

The dialogue will cover foreign policy issues from the Middle East to south Asia, but the most significant issue is likely to be North Korea, the long-time ally of China that has long been at the center of volatile regional tensions.

Those tensions escalated last year, when North Korea courted crisis by sinking a South Korean navy ship, killing 46 sailors; shelled a South Korean island near disputed waters, killing four people; and claimed major advances in uranium enrichment, which could give it a second pathway to making nuclear weapons.

Beijing resisted publicly condemning North Korea over these incidents, and urged all sides to avoid escalating the conflict.

China is North Korea's only major ally, and its economic and diplomatic support have been important to shoring up its otherwise isolated neighbor, whose leader Kim Jong-il visited China twice this year to strengthen ties.

At the talks, the Obama administration is likely to press Beijing to take a harder line against North Korea to back down from confrontation and resume nuclear disarmament talks.

"We want to compare notes on where we stand with respect to North Korea, and we will be very clear on what our expectations are for moving forward," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters before the dialogue.

But China has repeatedly rejected demands to isolate or choke off economic support for Pyongyang. Beijing says that excessive pressure could destabilize North Korea, and has argued that the United States should be more flexible in opening talks with Pyongyang and encouraging South Korea to do the same.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Obama administration officials have said they will use the dialogue to raise concerns about China's crackdown on dissent, which has brought the detention of dozens of dissidents, human rights advocates, and prominent grass-roots protesters.

Many of those detained have been released, but they face continued surveillance and have declined to speak out, apparently fearing repercussions. As well, several dissidents have been formally arrested on subversion charges.

The prominent Chinese artist-activist Ai Weiwei also remains in detention and faces a police investigation about suspected economic crimes, which his family has said are an unfounded excuse to silence his outspoken criticism of the government.

The United States is "deeply concerned" about China's crackdown, and the friction could impede ties, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Michael Posner said in late April.

But Washington's complaints about China's human rights are unlikely to dominate the talks in Washington, or to make much headway against Beijing.

China's Communist Party leadership fears contagion from anti-authoritarian uprisings across the Arab Middle East and North Africa, and preparations for a leadership handover from late 2012 are also amplifying elite jitters.

China's leaders say U.S. complaints about its human rights record are illegitimate meddling and they have become increasingly unyielding in the face of Western pressure.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA

Obama administration officials will use the talks with China to discuss the upheavals across the Middle East and North Africa, Campbell said.

China has criticized the NATO air campaign against the forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, suggesting that the campaign has overstepped the mandate given by a United Nations Security Council resolution.

Beijing abstained from that vote, letting it go into force, but has since voiced growing misgivings about Western policy toward Libya.

Beijing's main fear appears to be that Libya could eventually be carved up into divided states, anathema to China's traditional views about the primacy of sovereignty in resolving security crises.

Chinese and U.S. officials are also likely to exchange views on Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially in the aftermath of the death of Osama bin Laden.

China hailed the death of bin Laden in a U.S. raid as a "positive development," but has also defended its regional partner Pakistan against accusations it had done too little against terrorism threats.

China and Pakistan call each other "all-weather friends" and their close ties have been underpinned by longstanding wariness of their common neighbor, India.

China is building nuclear reactors in Pakistan despite misgivings from other countries, including the United States, which fear proliferation and safety risks.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Eric Beech)