WASHINGTON - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet top Chinese government officials including President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing early next week, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

Geithner heads for the Chinese capital at the weekend for two days of talks at the start of next week on how to promote stable and balanced growth between the two countries and on what they can do to encourage global recovery.

Next Monday and Tuesday's visit comes amid concern in China over rising U.S. debt, and China, the leading buyer of U.S. Treasury securities, may use the opportunity to repeat its worry about the safety of its U.S. assets.

The visit to Beijing is Geithner's first as U.S. Treasury secretary. In addition to official meetings, he will deliver a speech on U.S.-China economic relations at Peking University.

Currency issues are not expected to be as high a priority as has been the case on past visits by U.S. officials.

The U.S. Treasury declined earlier this year to call China a currency manipulator although the United States still is urging Beijing to allow more flexibility in how the value of its currency is determined so that market forces play a greater role.

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