(dpa) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday held talks with Chinese leaders that were expected to focus on the six-nation process for ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
Rice held her main talks with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and was also scheduled to meet President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
Chinese state media quoted Yang as saying both sides were using the talks to continue efforts to promote a "constructive relationship of cooperation and bilateral communication."
Rice was accompanied by Christopher Hill, the US chief negotiator at the talks between North Korea, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.
Before starting her closed talks with Yang, she said they planned to discuss "bilateral issues, global issues, and issues on which we really must cooperate."
Rice arrived in Beijing after meetings in South Korea, where she attended the inauguration of President Lee Myung Bak on Monday, and was scheduled to fly to Tokyo on Wednesday.
North Korea failed to meet an agreed deadline to disclose full details of its nuclear programmes by the end of last year.
The agreement was part of a deal last February for North Korea to disable and later dismantle its main nuclear facilities in return for energy aid and other concessions.
Before setting out from Washington, Rice said she expected her talks in east Asia to include in-depth discussions on the progress of the six-nation talks.