New China leader Xi to meet US treasury secretary

BEIJING (REUTERS) - US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will meet new Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday at a critical time in relations between the world's two largest economies, with cyber hacking, the Chinese currency and market access high on the agenda for talks.

The meeting will be Mr Xi's first with a senior foreign official since he was formally elected as president by China's parliament on Thursday. It is also Mr Lew's first major trip since his confirmation, indicating the importance of the relationship.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the head of government, pledged on Sunday to forge "a new type of relationship" with the United States and called for the end of a cyber-hacking row between the two countries.

A private US computer security company said last month that a secretive Chinese military unit was likely behind a series of hacking attacks targeting the United States. President Barack Obama raised the issue during a phone call with Mr Xi last week.