Cyber security, military exchanges and economic issues are expected to top China’s agenda when President Xi Jinping makes his first state visit to the United States starting today, even as he attempts to display China’s rising global influence amid fears that its giant economy is faltering.

Experts say that with little ground likely to be gained on thorny issues such as the South China Sea, Mr Xi will want to focus on areas where US-China cooperation is possible and on managing differences so as to reverse the “negative policy environment” in the US.

“Currently, there is a lot of negativity towards China, so Mr Xi would want to change this dynamic… This would be a big-picture goal,” said Singapore-based analyst Li Mingjiang.