US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Beijing this
morning for a visit to China.
Rice is scheduled to meet respectively with President Hu Jintao,
Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, and hold talks
with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, according to the Foreign
Ministry.
The two sides will exchange views on major international and
regional issues of shared concern, including the China-US relations
and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Rice's ongoing visit is in the wake of the nuclear test
conducted by North Korea on October 9.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Jianchao said the Chinese side
hopes to have an in-depth discussion with Rice on how to ease the
current situation on the Korean Peninsula and promote the
realization of a nuclear-free peninsula through dialogues and
negotiations.
This is the third leg of Rice's four-nation tour, which has
taken her to Japan and South Korea. She is also scheduled to visit
Russia following her China trip.
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2006)