Chinese companies also are expected to sign a $560 million contract with Motorola for telecommunication equipment and a $300 million contract with Microsoft for software, it said.

Other deals include a $350 million contract with GE Energy for power generation equipment and $306 million with General Motors, $110 million with Ford and $80 million with Daimler Chrysler for autos.

Terex Corp. is signing a deal to sell $150 million of heavy-duty construction trucks.

Wu will travel next to Memphis, Tennessee, where additional contracts for purchases of U.S. cotton, soybeans and poultry are expected to be signed, consulate spokeswoman Xiaomei said.

Wu is due in Washington on April 11 for a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record) and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

In the face of last year's $202 billion trade deficit with China, the Bush administration has been pushing Beijing to open its market to more U.S. goods and services and crack down on piracy and counterfeiting estimated to cost American companies billions of dollars in lost sales every year.

The large software purchase could be to fulfill a commitment Beijing has made to ensure government offices and state-owned enterprises only use legitimate software.

Portman told reporters on Wednesday he hoped next week's meeting would produce enough progress on piracy and market access concerns to satisfy members of Congress.

"We are still negotiating with the Chinese about what potential progress we can make. We won't know of course until the meeting is over ... I think we have an opportunity to have a fairly productive meeting," he said.