The "official goodwill visit" will last from October 8 to 11, said ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular briefing.

"During Vice Premier's visit, the Chinese and Korean sides will exchange views on bilateral issues and issues of mutual concern," Qin said.

"The Korean peninsula nuclear issue is an issue that concerns both China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

Qin declined to say what message Wu will bring from China's top leaders to the Stalinist North's reclusive leader Kim Jong-Il.

But he indicated China would like to see more progress in the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.

"We hope all sides can make joint efforts to seriously put into effect the joint statement from the fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing and push forward for new progress in the six-party talks process," Qin said.

China is hoping for a new round of talks in November.

The latest round ended in Beijing earlier this month with Pyongyang agreeing to a statement of principles on abandoning its atomic weapons in return for energy and security guarantees.

But the North has since warned it would not dismantle its nuclear arsenal until the United States delivered light-water reactors to allow it to generate power, casting doubt over its commitment to the statement.

Wu is China's highest ranking woman and has often represented the country in difficult negotiations, including trade disputes with foreign countries.

Her delegation will include members of China's cabinet, the State Council, officials from the foreign ministry, as well as from the Chinese Communist Party's international department and the Ministry of Commerce.

While in North Korea, Wu will also attend ceremonies to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the North's ruling Workers' Party, Qin said.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.