After a symbolic visit to a US aircraft carrier and military bases, a top Chinese officer's visit to the United States will become more substantive as the red carpet of the Pentagon is rolled out for a high-stakes meeting on Thursday.

General Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, will meet with US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon, two weeks after Carter publicly criticized China for its construction work in the South China Sea.

Fan will join US Army General Ray Odierno on Friday to sign a US-China Army-to-Army Dialogue Mechanism at the Washington-based National Defense University, US media reported.