Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President George W. Bush during the 14th APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders Informal Meeting in Vietnam.

They will exchange views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of common concern, Chinese Assistant to Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said Tuesday.

Specific agenda items have yet to be determined, he said.

Cui said he had not heard of any plan to hold discussions on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula at the APEC meeting.

China has clearly voiced its position on some international issues, Cui said, adding that the Chinese government holds that some crises should be resolved peacefully so as to facilitate the development and prosperity of the world.

"We are carrying out diplomatic efforts in resuming the six-party talks, and we hope our efforts can receive positive response from parties concerned," he said.

The six-party talks, involving China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, aim to resolve the Korean nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations.

The talks have remained stalled since the last round meeting was held in Beijing last November.

Tensions increased and the situation became more complicated after the DPRK conducted an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9, which triggered protests from the international community.

Last week the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed to return to the talks but no date has been set.

The bilateral meeting between Hu and Abe will be their second since Abe took office in September. Their first meeting was in early October when Abe visited China.

Abe's visit to China broke the political stalemate between China and Japan and marks a "turning point" in bilateral relations.

Hu's meeting with Bush will be their third in 2006. Hu paid a state visit to the United States last April and the two presidents held meetings on the sidelines of the outreach session of the G8 summit held in Russia's St. Petersburg in July.

China and the United States will hold their third round of strategic dialogue Wednesday which is co-chaired by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Nicholas Burns, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo will also meet with Burns on Wednesday.

"Close consultations between China and the United States are quite necessary," Cui said.

"Tomorrow's bilateral dialogue will help the meeting between top Chinese and U.S. leaders on APEC sidelines. It is in preparation for their meeting," Cui said.

The APEC summit will draw leaders from 21 countries and thousands of business executives from around the world.

Hu is expected to enunciate China's policies and propositions for deepening regional cooperation within the APEC framework, Cui said.

Editor: Yan