China's Xinhua News Agency says Beijing and Washington have agreed to promptly launch a working group that will make preparations for another round of six-way nuclear talks.

The agreement came during a meeting Thursday between Joseph DeTrani, a U.S. special envoy on Korean affairs, and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

In Moscow, the Itar-Tass News Agency, quoting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said his country and China are taking a joint stance toward resolving North Korea's nuclear issue.

Lavrov made his comments after talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing in Berlin on the sidelines of an international conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Lavrov also said that all parties of the six-way nuclear talks share the importance of continuous and somewhat painful dialogue in seeking a resolution to North Korea's nuclear standoff.