US President George W Bush plans to press Chinese President Hu Jintao today to rein in China's ballooning trade surplus in what he said would be frank talks on trade.
China struck an optimistic tone for the meeting by agreeing to purchase 70 planes from Boeing Co in a deal worth up to $5 billion. The deal for the 737 type of aircraft is to be announced over the weekend.
"I look forward to frank discussions on Sunday with President Hu about our need to find solutions to our trade differences with China," Mr Bush said in his weekly radio address today.
Mr Bush will also urge Hu to allow greater religious freedom in China, a message he will underscore by starting his day at Sunday services at the Gangwashi Church, one of five officially recognised Protestant churches in Beijing.
US officials were not happy when a Chinese court recently sentenced a Protestant minister, his wife and her brother to prison terms of up to three years for illegally printing Bibles and other Christian publications.
"Of course, it's Sunday so the president will want to worship," said Mike Green, Asian affairs director at the White House National Security Council. "But it's also important that the world see and that the Chinese people see that expression of faith is a good thing for a healthy and mature society."
Mr Bush began his week-long Asia tour by urging China to make political reforms, holding up Beijing's arch-rival, Taiwan, as an example of a model democracy.
China deflected Mr Bush's appeal, with a spokesman saying the Chinese "enjoy all forms of democracy and freedom under law".
The China visit comes amid Mr Bush's four-nation Asia tour that began in Japan and was followed by a visit to South Korea for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The tour finishes in Mongolia on Monday.