Chinese leaders and senior officials are scheduled to meet or hold talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday. Sino-US relations and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue are expected to be major topics.

Rice arrived in Beijing Saturday evening for her second China visit in four months since she took office in January.

On Sunday, Rice is expected to confer with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, while holding talks with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, according to sources with the Foreign Ministry.

Both sides would discuss China-US relations, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and other issues of common concern.

China is the first leg of Rice's four-nation Asian tour, aimed primarily at finding ways to resume the stalled six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Besides China, Rice will also go to Thailand, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Before her departure Friday, Rice told reporters the United States had no "timetable" for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to the six-party talks and would "keep opening doors" in a bid to jump-start the talks.

However, the DPRK announced Saturday that it agreed to open thefourth round of the six-party talks in late July, 2005, one year after the last round was held in Beijing.

The talks, launched in 2004 and involving China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, are aimed at settling the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Rice first visited China on March 20 this year in the capacity of US secretary of state.

Source: Xinhua