US Secretary of State John Kerry will be arriving in Beijing on Saturday on the second leg of his tour to Asia.
Kerry is expected to hold talks with Chinese leaders on building a new bilateral strategic relationship. Regional issues including the US's Asia-Pacific strategy, the Diaoyu islands and South China Sea as well as network security are set to be discussed.
Analysts say, with Kerry's visit coming in the middle of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, peace and stability in the East Asia region will be high on the agenda for talks. Kerry is the highest ranking American official to visit China after US President Barack Obama assumed the presidency for the second time.
Yang Xiyu, Sr. Research Fellow, China Institute of International Studies, said, "Both sides will exchange views on some existing disputes. I don't think solutions can be found only through discussion. But it does help to develop a better and mature idea of managing differences."
Shi Yinhong, Director of Center for American Studies, Renmin Univ., said, "Chinse and American leaders need to have a face-to-face negotiation on the tensions on the Korean Peninsula. They should evaluate the current situation, discuss the measure they've already taken and offer their suggestions. China hopes the US will be restrained in its actions which may further aggravate the situation. I believe some concrete and substantial agreement will be worked out this time."