US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit China from October 20 to 21, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao at a regular press conference Tuesday in Beijing.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice listens to questions during a briefing on her upcoming trip to Asia at the State Department in Washington, October 16, 2006. [Reuters]

Liu said the Chinese and the US sides will exchange views on major international and regional issues of shared concern, including the Sino-US relations and the situation on the Korean peninsular.

Calling Rice's China tour "an important visit", Liu said Chinese leaders are expected to meet with Rice, who will also hold talks with Li Zhaoxing.

Besides her China tour, Rice is also scheduled to visit Japan, the Republic of Korea and Russia.

The Korean nuclear issue would be atop the agenda of her trip, according to Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian affairs Christopher Hill.

Rice's forthcoming visit is in the wake of the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on October 9.

Rice: UN sanctions on DPRK strong

In her latest comment on the Korean nuclear issue, Condoleezza Rice warned on Monday that the UN sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are very strong and the international community as a whole will support its implementation.

Prior to her Asian trip, she told reporters at the State Department that the UN sanctions on the DPRK are "very strong" and "the world has reacted calmly and firmly" to DPRK's nuclear test last week.

Rice said the UN sanctions should be seen by Iran as a strong signal to abandon its nuclear ambitions, or face a rebuke from a united international community.

She said the proliferation of nuclear weapons is not only harmful to the United States but also harmful to DPRK's neighbors and other countries as well.

She believed that all countries especially the DPRK's neighbors would earnestly support the sanctions.

Rice is to start her trip to Japan, South Korea and China on Tuesday. "The purpose of my trip is to rally the support of our friends and allies" in the region, she said.