Key deals in sight as Xi starts visit

Sino-US ties likely to feature in major speech on policy

President Xi Jinping leaves Beijing on Tuesday for his first state visit to the United States, with negotiations between the two countries on many key sectors close to a successful outcome.

The state visit, from Tuesday to Friday, takes Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan to Washington DC and to the US high-tech hub of Seattle, where Xi will reach out to a wide range of US society including business leaders, students and local officials.