Kerry, who already visited China in April, will go to Tianjin to "continue discussions on key aspects of the climate crisis," the State Department said in a statement on Monday
Sino-US relations have been strained in recent years by disagreements about trade, China's treatment of its Uighur minority, as well as China's actions in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Kerry said the countries would discuss how to reduce a reliance on coal, as well as how to "raise ambitions" on climate change ahead of November's conference.
Lavrov told Kerry that he "welcomed" the decision by new US President to rejoin the landmark Paris agreement on curbing global emissions of greenhouse gases.
The political and technical challenges are great, and there will be pressure on Biden not to cut fossil fuels loose too quickly -- particularly natural gas, which has helped the US lower its net emissions for a decade and is seen as a crucial "bridging" energy.