China on Tuesday confirmed that Chief U.S. negotiator to the six-party talks Christopher Hill will visit Beijing later this week to discuss the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

During the visit, Hill will meet with his Chinese counterpart and Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

But Liu declined to give further details on Hill's visit. "The Chinese and U.S. sides are working on the date and schedule (of Hill's visit)," Liu said.

The nuclear negotiations, involving China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia, convened in Beijing last December. It was the first talks since the DPRK conducted an underground nuclear test in October.

The talks ended without any breakthrough. And the envoys agreed to resume the talks at an early date, but didn't set an exact date.

Reports said Hill is also scheduled to visit Seoul and Tokyo later this week.

Source: Xinhua