"They are going to talk about bilateral issues covering a broad range of mutual interests including North Korea and Iraq reconstruction," she said.

Armitage is scheduled to arrive in Beijing from Japan Thursday night. He will hold talks with Chinese foreign ministry officials Friday before leaving for Mongolia early Saturday for the third and last leg of his trip, the spokeswoman said.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Thursday Armitage will hold discussions with his counterpart, Chinese First Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, an old North Korea hand, and Vice Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong.

China is North Korea's closest ally, and Beijing has been working closely with Washington to try to diffuse tensions over the North Korean nuclear plans.

China has been trying to convene a second round of six-nation talks on a 15-month crisis over North Korea's nuclear program, after a first round made little headway in Beijing in August.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang expressed optimism Thursday another round of talks can take place soon.

"There is progress being made in preparations and we also hope that the second round of six-party talks can take place as soon as possible," Zhang told a regular briefing.

She said she believed Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi would chair the talks, and said she had no specific date for the second round.

Armitage's trip follows a "warm" meeting by a Chinese Communist Party official with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during a trip to Pyongyang, reported by the North's official media this month.

The United States revealed last week it had made a rare direct call to North Korea in a bid to convene a second round of the six-party talks, which were expected in December but never happened.

North Korea offered recently to freeze its nuclear weapons drive in return for concessions, including an end to US sanctions and a resumption of energy aid.

Washington is holding out for a commitment from Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear program.

WAR.WIRE