U.S. Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon will visit China from April 12 to 15 to discuss Latin American affairs, Chinese Foreign Ministry (FM) Spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Tuesday.

This will be the first consultation between the two countries on Latin American affairs, Liu said at a routine press briefing.

Shannon will come to China at the invitation of Zeng Gang, head of the FM department of Latin American affairs.

Vice FM Minister Yang Jiechi will meet with him and Zeng will have talks with him.

Main topics include: respective relations with Latin American countries, their policies on Latin America, situation of that region and their cooperation in this region.

The consultation, part of the China-U.S. strategic dialogue, will help increase understanding and trust between the two sides, Liu said.

Source: Xinhua