President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Thomas Donilon, will discuss security in the Middle East and Asia with senior Chinese officials in Beijing next week.

The White House says Donilon will travel to the Chinese capital on Sunday and meet with including State Councilor Dai Bingguo. He will also discuss U.S.-China relations, nonproliferation and global economic growth.

Donilon's visit comes as Syria plunges deeper into violence, with rebels pressing their fight to topple President Bashar Assad.

China on Thursday joined Russia in vetoing a resolution backed by the U.S. and key Western nations that would have imposed new sanctions on Assad's regime.

After Beijing, Donilon will travel to Japan for consultations on security cooperation and regional and global issues.