U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice will visit China later this week for discussions on a range of issues ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington next month, the White House said Tuesday.

Rice will be in Beijing on Aug. 28-29 for meetings with senior Chinese officials, including State Councilor Yang Jiechi, to consult on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, the White House's National Security Council spokesman, Ned Price, said in a statement.

"She will underscore the United States' commitment to building a more productive relationship between our two countries as well as discuss areas of difference in advance of President Xi's state visit to the United States in September," he said.

While in Beijing, Rice is expected to fine-tune the agenda for Obama's summit with Xi, such as territorial disputes over the South China Sea, cyber-hacking, China's foreign exchange policy, climate change, human rights and other issues.

The two sides are also expected to exchange views on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including this week's landmark agreement between South and North Korea that defused the worst military tensions on the peninsula in more than two years.

Rice's trip also comes ahead of a massive military parade China plans to hold next week to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. The U.S. frowns on the parade, expected to be serve as a Chinese show of force, and plans to have its ambassador to Beijing attend the ceremony, instead of sending a high-level official from Washington.

"I can confirm that our ambassador, the president's representative to China, will be representing the United States at the event," State Department spokesman John Kirby said at a press briefing. "He's the president's representative to China and he's the president's choice to represent the United States at this event and the ambassador is looking forward to attending." (Yonhap)