Beijing  - A US envoy discussed North Korea's nuclear programme with Chinese officials Thursday, one day after US President Barack Obama voiced his concerns about the Stalinist state to Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Stephen Bosworth, the special US envoy for North Korea, arrived in Beijing with his team on the first leg of a trip that will also take him to Seoul, Tokyo and Moscow.

China's Foreign Ministry said Bosworth was scheduled to meet Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Wu Dawei, the ministry's top official for North Korean affairs.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted unidentified officials in Seoul as saying Bosworth planned to discuss "carrots and sticks" to persuade North Korea to rejoin stalled international negotiations with North Korea on ending its nuclear weapons programme.

"The purpose of this trip is to work with our allies to find a way forward in convincing the North to come back to the negotiating table," State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood said Tuesday.

China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Russia were involved in previous rounds of six-party talks with North Korea.

Obama and Hu discussed North Korea by telephone Wednesday, when the US president "described to President Hu his concerns over recent actions by North Korea and threats to Pakistan by militant extremists and terrorists," the White House said.

North Korea broke off from the six-nation disarmament talks last month after the United Nations condemned Pyongyang's rocket launch.

North Korea has said it will restart its nuclear programme and also threatened to test a nuclear device for the second time since October 2006.

Asked about North Korea's threats to continue making and testing nuclear weapons, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu on Tuesday said China hoped all sides would exercise restraint.

"We hope all parties proceed from the overall situation, properly handle relevant issues so as to jointly safeguard the six-party talks," Jiang said.

Bosworth was scheduled to travel from Beijing to Seoul on Friday. (dpa)