Republic of Korea (ROK) President Roh Moo-hyun is scheduled to start a working visit to China today to collaborate with President Hu Jintao on bilateral ties and the nuclear situation on the Korean Peninsula.

During his one-day trip to Beijing, Roh will also meet with Premier Wen Jiabao and National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo.

A peaceful settlement to the nuclear escalation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the regional and international issues of mutual concern will be high on the agenda at the Hu-Roh summit, Roh's spokesman Yoon Tai-young was quoted as saying by the ROK government gateway korea.net.

The ROK expects the summit to help strengthen discussions with China on restarting the stalled Six-Party Talks at the earliest possible date, and to bolster Sino-ROK co-operation to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to a document provided by the ROK Embassy in Beijing.

Today's summit is also expected to further strengthen the "comprehensive partnership" agreed upon at the summit between the two leaders in July 2003, Yoon said.

Roh's trip to China comes four days after the DPRK conducted a nuclear test, which prompted strong criticism worldwide.

During the summit, China and the ROK are expected to reach a consensus on the policy towards the DPRK, said Piao Jianyi, a researcher of the Korean Peninsula issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Both China and the ROK are key participants of the Six-Party Talks, so their consensus will influence the measures the United Nations will take towards Pyongyang," Piao said, adding he thinks the talks will be "pragmatic."

The Six-Party Talks, aimed at dismantling the DPRK's nuclear programme, also included the United States, the DPRK, Russia and Japan.

Today's summit will be the third meeting between Roh and Hu, following the ROK leader's visit to Beijing in July 2003 and Hu's visit to the ROK last November.

Roh is also expected to attend a ceremony on opening a new embassy house in Beijing this afternoon.

China and the ROK have maintained smooth co-operation in political, economic, trade, cultural, educational, science and technology, and the environmental protection fields.

They have also had good co-ordination in regional and global issues, Piao said.