U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. ©AP/Greg Baker
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping. ©AP/Greg Baker

The Sept. 25 meeting comes at a tense time for Sino-American relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to the U.S. at the end of the month, the White House confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.

The visit, Xi’s first official one to Washington, will take place on Sept. 25 and reciprocates President Barack Obama’s trip to Beijing last November, the statement said.

The President and First Lady will also host Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at a state dinner that evening, after the two leaders have engaged in bilateral talks.

“President Xi’s visit will present an opportunity to expand U.S.-China cooperation on a range of global, regional, and bilateral issues of mutual interest, while also enabling President Obama and President Xi to address areas of disagreement constructively,” the statement added.

Xi, whose visit was first announced in February, is expected to stop in Seattle to meet several U.S. tech leaders on his way to Washington, before going on to New York for the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 28.

 

Hacking ‘unacceptable’

 

Among the issues likely to be on the agenda for the visit is China’s increasing assertion of power over territory it claims as its own in the South and East China Sea.

China has long claimed large parts of the maritime territory and islands in the two seas – angering countries with overlapping claims – but has in recent years been actively building up its presence there and carrying out land reclamation work.

Cyber espionage will also be a point of tension. Last week, Mr Obama said alleged Chinese cyber attacks are “not acceptable”.

Several hacks on US institutions have been blamed on China, including one involving the details of millions of government staff.

China has said it is opposed to cyber crime, and is itself the victim of US hacking attacks.

The visit also comes at a time of concern about the global impact of an economic slowdown in China.