Rice to kick off whirlwind China tour Sunday afternoon

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive in Beijing Sunday afternoon for an event-packed visit. This is her first China trip since she took the office in January.

Rice pays the visit as guest of Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, Vice Premier Wu Yi and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan will meet with her during her stay. She will also hold talks with Li Zhaoxing, according to sources with Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Both sides will discuss China-US relations, the Taiwan issue, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, and topics of mutual interest.

China is the last-leg of Rice's eight-day, six-nation Asian trip. She has already toured India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Previously, Rice visited China in February of 2002 and July of 2004, respectively, as the US national security adviser.