Chinese and US political leaders meet for the 11th US-China Political Party Leaders Dialogue in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Wang Cong/GT

Chinese and US political leaders are trying to build mutual trust between the two sides, as what has been described as the most consequential relationship in the world reaches a critical point marked by growing distrust and tensions over economic and security issues.

Current and former senior officials from China and the US met in Beijing on Monday for the 11th US-China Political Party Leaders Dialogue, where views on a wide range of issues, ranging from trade to security to internal politics, in both countries were shared, officials said.

At a time when the two countries are deadlocked in a bruising trade conflict, the closed-door dialogue has offered a rare chance to gain a better understanding of each other's stance and to create a better environment for ongoing trade negotiations, officials said.

Hosted by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC), the dialogue was attended by senior Chinese officials, business and academic leaders. On the US side, several former Democratic and Republican officials, including former Ambassador to China Gary Locke and business leaders, attended the event.

Addressing a brief opening ceremony before the close-door session, Song Tao, head of the IDCPC, called on political leaders to promote dialogue and cooperation between the two countries at such a critical time.

"Political parties and politicians from the two countries should conform to the trend of the times and lead China and the US toward cooperation instead of confrontation," he said.

During the meeting, political leaders exchanged views on their internal political agenda, including the US elections, and how they will affect China-US relations, as well as on the "deeper background issues" behind the trade war, according to Luan Jianzhang, director general of the Research Office of the IDCPC.

"There is a trust deficit between China and the US," Luan told reporters after attending the dialogue, noting that due to the tensions, it is more important than ever to hold such discussions to build trust. "Decoupling of minds is much more serious than decoupling in other areas. If the minds are not decoupling, then cooperation in other areas will continue."

After launching the trade war with China, some US officials have also called for US businesses to decouple from China, a suggestion that Chinese officials called unrealistic and extremely costly for both sides.

Locke, who is also a former US secretary of commerce and former governor of the Washington State, said that resolving the trade war is in both countries' interest, but "underlying" issues must be addressed.

"The trade war is the result of growing frustration and concerns from [the US] business community and political leaders over the underlying and long-standing economic and trade policies of China," Locke told reporters after the meeting.

What Locke refers to was also a point of dispute during the trade war. Chinese officials have repeatedly pushed back at what they call unfound criticism from US officials of China's economic and trade policies, and often pointed to progress made in improving the business environment and market opening.

However, despite the differences, the two countries should continue to build trust to avoid a conflict, said William Parker, president of the New York-based think tank EastWest Institute, which co-organized the dialogue.

"This is an understanding between senior leadership - it's happening in that room right now - and we sat down to have these conversations to ensure that we continue to build trust and build understanding to prevent conflict in the future," Parker told reporters.