"This will be a very important visit. The two sides will be conferring on many critical international issues," foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at yesterday's briefing.

Ivanov is scheduled to meet his counterpart Tang Jiaxuan and other senior officials during the three-day visit, which will run from Wednesday through Friday, following a weekend stopover by US Secretary of State Colin Powell, explained Zhang.

Powell's three-nation Asia tour, which will take him to Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, will mainly focus on talks to ease increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula as well as the Iraqi issue, analysts said.

"Powell is expected to urge Beijing to pressure the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to abandon its intentions of developing nuclear weapons," said Pan Shaozhong, a professor with the Beijing-based Foreign Affairs College.

"China's policy on this issue is very clear -- to encourage the two sides (US and DPRK) to hold direct talks," Pan said.

"If the US makes some concessions, the DPRK will not be as tough as they imagined," Pan said, noting that the DPRK's security concerns must be considered. Pan added that great efforts are required to bring the US and the DPRK face-to-face talks on this issue.

A DPRK foreign ministry statement issued late on Tuesday accused Washington of "persistently" turning down a non-aggression treaty and urged the US to come to the negotiating table.

However, the call for face-to-face talks between Pyongyang and Washington was rejected by the US Government, which insists that the DPRK must first dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

As well as discussions on the DPRK question, Pan said Powell is also expected to seek Beijing's understanding of the US' stance on using military action against Iraq and not to use its right of veto in the United Nations (UN). Yet, Beijing is unlikely to change its position on the issue, insisting on a political solution within the framework of the UN, Pan said.

Anti-terror Talks

China's foreign ministry yesterday commended the progress made in this week's anti-terrorism consultations between China and the United States, saying the talks will contribute to the further development of bilateral cooperation in the fight against terror.

The ministry said the progress made between the two sides during the talks would enhance joint efforts to squash global terrorism as well as strengthen Sino-US ties.

Led by US State Department coordinator for counter-terrorism J. Cofer Black, the US delegation arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to participate in the third session of Sino-US anti-terrorism consultation and the second consultation of the Sino-US Financial Counter-Terrorism Working Group.

In what the foreign ministry described as "positive, pragmatic and fruitful" consultations, officials from the two countries exchanged their views on international and regional counter-terror conditions and their cooperation in the financial sector to fight against terrorism.

The next round of consultations will be held in the US during the second half of this year and next year, said ministry sources.

At a Wednesday press conference, Black praised China for taking "active steps" in fighting against terror, adding that China has "a key role to play" in countering terror with its large population and its influence in the region.

(China Daily February 21, 2003)