US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday in Beijing that China and the United States have agreed the six-party framework should continue.

"What we agreed on today is the need for the six-party framework to continue," Powell told a news conference after meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao and other senior Chinese leaders.

"I hope that as a result of our conversations today, both of us will energize the other members of the six-party framework to resolve the outstanding issues that keep us from setting a date for a meeting," he said.

While praising China's "actively involved" efforts in pushing the talks, Powell said he was confident that the Chinese are totally committed to the six-party framework.

"We reaffirmed our commitment today to the six-party talks and hoped the next round will be held in the recent future," he said.

The six-party talks, aiming at resolving the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, involve the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Russia and China.

By June this year, China had hosted three rounds of the six-party talks to try to resolve the nuclear confrontation between the DPRK and the United States. But the fourth round scheduled for September failed to take place.

China has been keeping close contact with all relevant parties and done a great deal of persuasion and promotion work for the next round of talks to be held as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue has told a recent regular press conference.