BEIJING - US Vice President Joe Biden will make an official visit to China from August 17 to 22, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

Biden will make the visit at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a press release.

Biden's tour to China will be the first of the planned reciprocal visits between the vice presidents announced during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit to the United States in January, the White House said earlier.

"While in China, the vice president will meet with Vice President Xi and other Chinese leaders, including President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao, to consult on a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues," the White House said in a statement.

Apart from his stay in Beijing, Biden will also visit China's southwestern city of Chengdu, according to the White House.