US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will travel to China at the end of this week to discuss the China-US Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED), according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"As special representative of the US President, Paulson will visit China from July 29 to August 1 to exchange views on the process of the SED," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao announced on Thursday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao would meet with Paulson and Vice Premier Wu Yi would hold talks with him as Hu's special representative, Liu said.

This will be Paulson's second visit to China this year, following his brief tour in March.

Paulson will also travel to the country's northwest Qinghai Province to see environmental protection programs.

"This trip is part of an ongoing process to strengthen our strategic economic relationship -- to address long-term issues such as working with China to rebalance its growth and increase the flexibility of its currency, and also to address short-term issues as they arise," Paulson said in the statement issued by the US Treasury Department.

The twice-yearly SED, launched by Wu and Paulson in Beijing in September last year, serves as a platform to discuss long-term, strategic and comprehensive issues in the bilateral trade relationship.

The third SED will be held in Beijing in December.

(Xinhua News Agency July 26 2007)