The Honda plant in Guangdong Province [file photo]

"The success of Panetta's visit will be judged by how he will reassure Beijing that Washington is willing to do more things conducive to regional peace and stability, which are now threatened by some US allies," it said.

Panetta's visit, following Liang’s trip to the US in May, is also a part of efforts to push military relations forward since they resumed 18 months ago after a break over US arms sales to Taiwan, analysts said.

Military relations will be a key aspect of the visit, but obstacles remain.

Ni Feng, a researcher of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that these include US arms sales to Taiwan, military surveillance close to China’s coast and discriminatory regulations prohibiting certain China-US military exchanges.

Both countries are looking for ways to deepen China-US military relations, but ensuring smoother communication is a more practical option, Ni said.

"Yet whether these talks turn out to be fruitful remains to be seen." Yin Zhuo, a Beijing-based military specialist, said Panetta will also touch upon international issues including the denuclearization of Korean Peninsular, the Iranian nuclear plan and Syria.