Chinese President Hu to visit White House

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will host a state visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States next month, the White House said.

The Jan. 19 visit -- amid Korean and Iranian tensions and economic-policy differences between Washington and Beijing -- "will highlight the importance of expanding cooperation between the United States and China on bilateral, regional and global issues," the White House said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The president looks forward to welcoming President Hu to Washington to continue building a partnership that advances our common interests and addresses our shared concerns," the statement said.

As part of the visit, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will host Hu for a state dinner at the White House.

It was not immediately clear whether Hu would spend more than a day in the United States. Previous Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping, visited other U.S. cities on state visits to the United States.

The visit reciprocates for Obama's November 2009 state visit to China, the White House said. That visit included discussions about economic worries, concerns over nuclear-weapons proliferation and ways of responding to climate change.