US treasury secretary to visit China, Japan

WASHINGTON - The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will travel to China and Japan next week for meetings with top officials there to discuss a range of economic and other issues.

Geithner will meet senior government officials in both countries between January 10 and 12 "to discuss the state of the global economy, policies to strengthen global growth and other economic issues of mutual importance," the Treasury said in a statement.

On January 10, Geithner will arrive in Beijing for a two-day visit to meet high-profile Chinese leaders including Premier Wen Jiabao and Vice-President Xi Jinping, to discuss topics including measures to promote continued economic growth, according to the statement.

On January 12, Geithner will travel to Tokyo for meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Finance Minister Jun Azumi and other senior government officials, to confer on the US and Japanese economies and cooperation on efforts to support strong, sustainable and balanced global growth, the statement added.