U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is looking forward to Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming state visit to the United States, the first since he took office in 2013, the State Department said Thursday.

During the visit, which is scheduled for September 22-25, Xi will hold a summit meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House and will also meet with senior U.S. officials, including Kerry.

"We're looking forward to the visit. It's an important relationship that matters not just in the pacific region but around the world as China's economy continues to grow and China's influence continues to expand," John Kirby, spokesman for the State Department, told a daily briefing.

"So we're all very excited about this," Kirby said, adding that Kerry is looking forward to this visit.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2015)