US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice concluded her 24-hour visit in Beijing and left Beijing for home Monday afternoon.

This is Rice's first China trip as guest of Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing since she took office as top US diplomat in January.

At a news briefing before departure, Rice said during her meetings here, her Chinese host agreed to expand cooperation between the United States and China, and this is "essential to the interests of both countries particularly as China is a state of major transformation".

She said US-China relations have developed "remarkably in a way that would have been thought unthinkable a few years ago" and "Today, we are cooperating in changeable ways" on wide-ranging issues.

"We look forward to expanding and deepening relationship with China," said Rice.

During her stay in Beijing, Rice met respectively with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, Vice-Premier Wu Yi, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, discussing China-US ties, the Taiwan question, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, China-US trade cooperation, China's foreign exchange policy, protection of intellectual property rights, and the Doha Development Agenda of the World Trade Organization.

Besides, Rice went to the Beijing University Monday morning to have a discussion with scholars and students there, and viewed the training of Chinese figure skating performers at the China World Hotel where she stayed in Beijing.

China is the last-leg of Rice's six-nation Asian trip that has already taken her to India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

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