The Army said Gen. Mark A. Milley was due to meet Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart and other senior People's Liberation Army leaders to find ways to work on cooperation while handling differences.
Milley will also visit the PLA's Academy of Military Science.
China has objected strenuously to a decision to base the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, system south of the South Korean capital Seoul, believing it's X-Band radar is intended to track missiles inside China.
Chinese state media have published daily attacks against the US and South Korea, and China has canceled events involving South Korean entertainers.