BEIJING - China's top nuclear negotiator will visit South Korea for talks on North Korea's nuclear program, a foreign ministry spokesman said Thursday.

Qin Gang said Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei was set to arrive in Seoul on Friday for three days of consultations.

"He will have discussions with the Korean side on a resumption of the six-party talks and other issues of common interest," Qin said.

Earlier this month US President George W. Bush and his South Korean counterpart Roh Moo-hyun agreed to make new efforts to restart the six-country talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.

North Korea insists it will not rejoin the talks, which also include China, the United States, South Korea, Japan and Russia, until Washington agrees to lift financial sanctions imposed on the North's regime over alleged money laundering.

Beijing has been pressing North Korea to go back to the bargaining table. However, China has said that it is opposed to the use of sanctions or the threat of sanctions to bring Pyongyang back to talks.