The pro democracy protests in Hong Kong, cyberspying and disputes in the South China Sea — all areas where the two nations have clashed — were on the weighty agenda in talks between Kerry and visiting Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi.
The pair covered bilateral and global issues, such as Ebola, North Korea and Iran’s nuclear program.
Those talks between the pair were designed to lay the groundwork for Obama’s visit.
Speaking at the time, one US official said human rights in China — a consistent bone of contention between Washington and authorities in Beijing — was discussed, as was the situation in Hong Kong, a Chinese territory.
Kerry flew to Beijing to join Asia-Pacific foreign ministers ahead of the APEC summit hosted by Xi.
The China trip will offer some respite for Obama from domestic ills after his Democrats suffered a crushing defeat and lost their majority in the Senate to the Republicans in midterm elections this week.
Obama though will be under pressure to discuss the plight of rights defenders in China when he meets Xi.
Xi has repeatedly vowed to combat rampant graft in the face of public anger in China over the issue.
But the ruling communist party has cracked down on activists pursuing the same goals, seeing independently organised groups as a challenge to its tight grip on power, and rights advocates complain of a deteriorating climate of oppression.
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