One of the top foreign policy advisers of United States President Barack Obama is set to visit China on Sunday, the White House announced earlier this week.

U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice is set to leave for China for a three-day trip which will begin on Sept. 7.

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The White House said Rice would be meeting with several Chinese officials to smoothen the tension between China and the U.S. for the upcoming summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Obama.

In a statement released Friday, U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayen said Rice will reinforce the United States' commitment "to build a productive relationship" with China.

Rice's China visit comes following the continuing strain in the relationship between the two nations amid China's unending territorial dispute in the South China Sea with other countries, and the recent fighter jet intercept over the South China Sea.

It will be Rice's first official visit to China as Obama's security advisor, a position she filled in 2013.

Several Chinese officials have verified the trip, adding that Rice will be coming in response to an invitation by State Councilor Yang.

According to reports, the main goal of Rice's visit is to smoothen the details of the bilateral meeting between Xi and Obama.

However, according to several Chinese state-run news outlets, Rice is visiting China to mend her strained relationship with the country.

The reports claimed that Rice is trying to "rebuild her image" following her criticism of China's foreign policy strategy for Syria when she was still a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The bilateral meeting between Xi and Obama will be held a day after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China on November 10 and 11. The meeting will reportedly be held in an informal setting, relative to their talks held in California in 2013.

TagsObama, china summit, susan rice