Clinton to pay brief visit to China

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will pay a brief visit this month to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen for talks on the complex relationship between the Pacific nations, her spokesman said Clinton will meet on July 25 in Shenzhen with Dai Bingguo, who holds the powerful position of state councilor, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. "They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of common concern," Toner said in a statement. Clinton arrived in Turkey on Thursday on the start of an 11-day tour. The State Department earlier said that she would visit Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory, but had not announced the stop to nearby Shenzhen. President Barack Obama's administration has sought a stable relationship with China but relations have often faced obstacles on issues from trade to human rights to Beijing's friction with its neighbors in the South China Sea. In Hong Kong, Clinton is scheduled to deliver a speech on the global economic situation and US competitiveness. Her tour will also include stops in India, with which the United States has been seeking a broader relationship, and Indonesia where she will take part in East Asia regional talks in Bali.