China's banking sector can benefit from an infusion of foreign companies that bring new capital, technology and customers, a top U.S. regulator said during a visit there on Monday.

Sheila Bair, chairman of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., is visiting government officials and bankers in Beijing and Shanghai to promote a deposit insurance program for financial institutions in China.

She is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan to formalize a consultative relationship to help China set up a system.

Bair praised China for reforming and developing many parts of the country's economy, but added that transforming the banking sector to also allow foreign banks to enter is the next hurdle.

"I know there are deep-seated concerns about letting foreign banks get more involved in China," Bair said in a speech at China's central bank in Beijing. 

"Foreign banks can bring capital, new technology and new customers. Foreign regulators can bring new ideas. These can create new opportunities both for the Chinese people and for Americans," she said.

Her remarks were made on the heels of a major U.S. announcement Friday of an international agreement with regulatory counterparts to better reflect risks for the biggest dozen American banks under the Basel II framework.

In the United States, the FDIC insures customers' deposits, with the support of a $51 billion fund in the event a bank collapses. Coverage includes up to $100,000 for each depositor and $250,000 in retirement accounts.

Deposits in foreign branches of U.S. banks, however, are not covered by the FDIC.

The FDIC also assesses insurance fees to banks based on their risk levels.

In the event the fund is tapped dry, the agency also has a $30 billion backup line of credit with the U.S. Treasury Department and has the ability to borrow from the banking industry for working capital purposes, she said.

Bair said a deposit insurance system can help promote China's rural development by providing confidence to depositors to put their money into smaller, local banks.

"Deposit insurance -- to the mutual benefit of all -- can be the keystone as China builds an advanced banking industry," she said.