US President George W. Bush and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, whose countries are engaged in serious trade disputes, will meet in Washington next month, the White House announced today.
Mr Wen, making a four-state tour which will also includes Canada, Mexico and Ethiopia, will be on his first visit to the United States.
Although relations between the two states have improved markedly since spying incidents and tensions over Taiwan dominated contacts in the late 1990s, disagreements over trade and economic issues have grown.
Decisions this month by the Bush administration to protect American textile and television makers have been attacked by Beijing as discriminatory and unfair.
Beijing recently announced it would raise duties on some US goods in response to US tariffs on steel imposed a year and a half ago.
China has called for consultations to mend the trade rift, which has fanned fears in Asia that the United States is growing more protectionist.
China is also under pressure from Washington to let the market determine the value of its currency.