Senior US official to visit China next week

BEIJING - China confirmed on Wednesday that US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel will visit China in mid-September.

Russel will pay a working visit to China from Sept 13 to 14, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a news briefing.

China and the United States will exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern, he said.

The US State Department said Tuesday that Russel will travel to the Republic of Korea, Japan, Brunei, Indonesia and China from Sept 5 to 14, marking his first visit to the region since his swearing-in.