U.S. President Barack Obama says he wants a relationship with China that goes beyond economic issues, to encompass other matters of global concern.  Mr. Obama spoke in Beijing as he sat down for talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

This was the last big meeting for the president in China.

As cameras recorded the start of his talks with the Chinese premier,  Mr. Obama talked once again about the expanding nature of the relationship between Washington and Beijing.

He referred to his detailed discussions Tuesday with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

" President Hu and myself agreed in our first meeting that we wanted to try to deepen the strategic partnerships and relationships between the United States and China - a relationship that used to be focused just on economic and trade issues is now expanding to deal with a whole host of global issues in which U.S. -China  cooperation is critical,'' Mr. Obama said.

The Chinese premier said President Obama's first-ever visit to China is moving the Sino-American relationship to a new level.

Neither man made spoke about specifics in public with reporters in the room.   But Premier Wen is heavily involved in economic matters,  and it is believed their talks covered such controversial issues as the value of the Chinese currency and the impact of America's national debt.

After the meeting and a working lunch, Mr. Obama took some time for a little sightseeing - traveling just outside Beijing to visit the Great Wall of China.

His next and final stop on his Asia tour is South Korea. Top issues there are expected to be trade and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.