Rice in Beijing for N Korea talks

Ms Rice is hoping Beijing will apply more pressure on Pyongyang

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in China hoping to quicken the nuclear disarmament process in neighbouring North Korea.

Ms Rice is expected to urge Chinese leaders to put pressure on Pyongyang to fully declare its nuclear programme.

North Korea missed a deadline to do so by the end of last year.

China is North Korea's closest ally and chairs the six-nation talks which produced an historic disarmament agreement a year ago.

Ms Rice will hold talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during the two-day visit - her first to China for more than a year.

"We continue to believe that if anyone is capable of convincing the North that this kind of transparency is the only way forward, it's the Chinese," a senior US official told Reuters.

Beijing was less direct in its comments ahead of Ms Rice's scheduled talks with Chinese officials.

"The ultimate aim is to push for the healthy, steady and sustainable development of China-US relations," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

Ms Rice flew into China from South Korea, where she attended the inauguration ceremony of the President Lee Myung-bak on Monday.

She is due to visit Japan on Wednesday.