Currency, human rights on agenda with China: US

The demand for China to revalue its currency and the issue of human rights will be on the US agenda when Chinese President Hu Jintao makes a state visit to Washington later this month, the White House has said.

Also on the discussion table will be the situation in the Korea peninsula, given China's close association with North Korea, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at his daily news conference.

"Those two issues (currency and human rights)... will be on the agenda and will be tremendously important," Gibbs said when asked if these two issues were still on the agenda with China.

He said the issues were taken up in a White House meeting with the visiting Chinese foreign minister on Tuesday in which US President Barack Obama also stopped by.

"China plays an enormously important role in our global economy and China has to take steps to rebalance its currency, and the president will continue to make that point when President Hu is here, as he did with the foreign minister," Gibbs said.

"Understand that human rights, the global economy, and currency are certainly on the list. I won't go through all the topics, but of course the situation in North Korea I anticipate will also take up some amount of that time," he said.

Gibbs sought to refute reports that the Obama administration is soft pedaling on the human rights issue.

"I think if you speak directly to the president of China about your concerns about their record on human rights, I don't think that's soft pedaling," he said.

Earlier in the day, visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the US-China ties are on the right track.

"It is in the best interest of China, the United States and the world for us to continue to work together so that our relationship will bring more benefits to both our two people and to the people of the world," Yang told reporters before meeting secretary of state Hillary Clinton at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the state department.

Yang's trip to the US at the invitation of Clinton is a preparatory trip ahead of the state visit of the Chinese president later this month.

"I believe that the preparation is proceeding very well. And my job here is to do my little part for a successful visit. And I thank the American government, particularly the president and Madame Secretary and Mr (Thomas) Donilon (US National Security Adviser), for their warm hospitality. And let all work hard for an even more beautiful tomorrow for China-US relationship," he said.