BEIJING, Jan. 20 -- Senior diplomats from China and the United States will meet in Beijing to discuss Asia-Pacific situation and each country's policy on this region, a Chinese spokesman said on Monday.

Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will co-chair the fifth China-U.S. Consultations on Asia-Pacific issues on Wednesday in Beijing with Zhen Zeguang, China's assistant foreign minister.

Russel will accompany U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns's China tour from Tuesday to Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a regular press briefing.

The U.S. diplomats' China visits came as tensions rise between China and Japan following Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's December visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.

Russel will also visit Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Singapore, and Burns will also visit ROK and Japan, according to the U.S. State Department.