(Adds details and background)
WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make a brief stop in China during her Oct. 27-Nov. 8 trip to the Asia Pacific region, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.
Clinton will meet State Councilor Dai Bingguo during a stop at China's Hainan island after visiting Hanoi, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told a news briefing.
Campbell said Clinton had planned to meet Dai, possibly in Hanoi on Oct. 30, but that in subsequent discussions with the Chinese it was decided to add the stop in Hainan instead.
"It's nothing out of the ordinary ... it is, in many respects, just a convenience for our Chinese friends," Campbell said.
Campbell said Dai and Clinton's talks would touch on a range of issues including a planned visit by Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States in January, and that the meeting was part of an effort on both sides to step up "informal diplomacy" between the two sides.
"We all understand the stakes involved," Campbell said, saying both sides wanted to ensure a positive and constructive relationship between the two big powers.
Clinton departs on her trip on Wednesday for a first stop in Honolulu, where she will meet Japan's foreign minister, before heading to Hanoi to participate in the East Asia Summit.
She will continue on to Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand before winding up the trip in Australia. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed, Editing by Sandra Maler)