Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and US Secretary of State Colin Powell swapped views on the North Korean nuclear crisis at the weekend amid a diplomatic push to prepare for a new round of multi-party talks.

China's Foreign Ministry did not say if they had agreed on dates for a fourth round of six-party discussions on the crisis during the Sunday telephone call, but South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday the meeting was likely in September.

At the end of the third round of talks in June, China, the United States, North and South Korea, Japan and Russia agreed to try to hold a new round before the end of September.

Efforts to plan for that round have run into difficulties, and analysts say North Korea is unlikely to take part in serious negotiations until after the US presidential election in November.

Last week, North Korea blasted President Bush with slurs, raising questions among analysts about Pyongyang's willingness to attend a new round of talks or to take part in good faith.

China, host of the six-way talks, has a major stake in seeing the process continue smoothly and renewed a diplomatic push to resolve the 22-month-old crisis at the weekend with top-level visits to both Koreas.

Powell and Li also congratulated each other on the medal hauls of their respective countries at the Olympics, which ended on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry said on its Web site.

Powell reiterated US support for a "one China" policy, it said. China insists Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory and aims to reunify the island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

(China Daily via agencies August 30, 2004)