BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said on Tuesday that Beijing expects the United States to hold a bilateral meeting soon with North Korea and said his government would welcome such a move.

The United States called Friday for the release of Xue Feng, a China-born US citizen who has been held in the Asian nation for two years on state secrets charges.

US, allies will demand 'unfettered access' to previously secret nuclear facility in Iran. The U.S. and its five allies trying to stop Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program plan to tell Tehran in a key meeting on Thursday that it must provide "unfettered access" to its previously secret Qom enrichment facility within weeks, a senior administration official says.

A top US diplomat said Tuesday that China had expressed its commitment to implementing UN sanctions on North Korea aimed at getting the isolated nation to return to six-nation denuclearisation talks.

Chinese vice premier visits Australia after bilateral diplomatic rows. Beijing is sending a top-level official to Australia this week for the first time since a series of rows sent relations plummeting between the Asian giant and one of its key suppliers of raw materials.

China's vice premier Li Keqiang called for a "new level" of ties with key trade partner Australia Friday as he began a visit seen as smoothing relations after months of rocky ties.

China slammed new US tariffs on Chinese steel goods Friday and launched its own probe into US car imports as a tit-for-tat trade tussle escalated just a week before a visit by US President Barack Obama.

China slammed new US tariffs on Chinese steel goods Friday and launched its own probe into US car imports as a tit-for-tat trade tussle escalated just a week before a visit by US President Barack Obama.

China said on Friday that this month's visit by President Barack Obama would be a milestone in relations for the global powerhouses and that climate change cooperation would be a key agenda item.

Talks on a new UN climate pact headed for a wrap here Friday, leaving a roster of bitterly divisive issues to be hammered out at next month's showdown in Copenhagen.

Talks on a new UN climate pact headed for a wrap here Friday, leaving a roster of bitterly divisive issues to be hammered out at next month's showdown in Copenhagen.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is weighing the prospect of reaching only a framework agreement at U.N. climate talks this December, but would want guarantees that principles laid out in previous deals would be retained, a top diplomat said on Friday.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged more contact with the U.S. military on Friday while President Hu Jintao said his nation's plans for space were peaceful, striking a conciliatory tone ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's visit.

Australia Tuesday said a "most unhappy" China had axed a senior minister's visit in retaliation for letting exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer into the country, dealing another blow to troubled ties.

CANBERRA (Reuters) - China's cancellation of a senior ministerial visit to Australia has pushed ties to a fresh low at a time when political tensions over Beijing's arrest of an Australian mining executive had appeared to be easing.

Australia says China canceled minister's visit over Uighur activist row. China canceled a senior minister's trip in anger at Australia's granting of a visa to an exiled Uighur activist in the latest sign that ties between the two countries are strained.

Australia on Tuesday said China downgraded an official visit this month in protest over Canberra's decision to give a visa to exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, expressing "regret" over the move.

China warned on Tuesday that US moves to restrict imports of some Chinese-made goods would damage the mutually important trade relationship between the two giant economies.

China warned on Tuesday that US moves to restrict imports of some Chinese-made goods would damage the mutually important trade relationship between the two giant economies.

A spat over US tariffs on Chinese tires need not trigger a trade war between Washington and Beijing, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.