Gen. Xu Caihou is due to meet Pacific Command commander Adm. Robert Willard on Monday.

Xu is coming to Hawaii after meeting President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Washington.

U.S.-Chinese military ties have been strained by China's objections to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.

Chinese efforts to disrupt U.S. Navy surveillance missions off its shores have also been a sore point.

The U.S. says it has the right to operate military and commercial ships in those waters, but China disputes this.

Willard told reporters last month the two countries would be talking about the issue.