BEIJING - China and the United States will send senior officials to each other's country in preparation for the state visit to the United States by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September.

Several senior US officials will visit China in August and September, based on a consensus reached by the two sides, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Monday.

Meanwhile, some senior Chinese officials will visit the US to pave the way for Xi's upcoming visit, which is at the invitation of his counterpart Barack Obama.