The United States wants to work with China to expand the global economy and promote the development of the green economy, said a U.S. Commerce Department official Wednesday in Beijing.

Cameron Kerry, General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce, said at a news briefing at the U.S. embassy that the two countries faced an important time in their relations.

"My visit here this week is an appetizer in the banquet of events between the U.S. and China."

According to U.S. Commerce Department, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke will lead the first cabinet-level trade delegation to China next week to promote exports of leading technologies as part of President Barack Obama's state export plan to increase U.S. employment.

The department said the mission was intended to promote exports of leading U.S. technologies related to clean energy, energy efficiency, and electric energy storage, transmission and distribution.

The two sides would also exchange views on issues such as trade and the investment environment, innovation and the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, said Kerry.

Locke will also attend the economic track dialogue of the second round of Sino-U.S. strategic and economic dialogue in Beijing in late May.

Twenty-four U.S. companies will join Locke for the China leg of the trade mission. The delegation will stop in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Jakarta.