The U.S. State Department's point man on North Korea is looking to hammer out details with senior Chinese officials to convene working-level discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear issue.

The State Department said Joseph DeTrani met with his Chinese counterpart Ning Fukui in Beijing on Thursday and discussed preparatory measures for six-party working-level talks.

An official of the U.S. Embassy in China said that Washington hopes to hold a working group session as soon as possible and remains very flexible on the timing for the talks.

DeTrani, who arrived in China on Wednesday, is scheduled to return to Washington on Saturday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan would not confirm that American and Chinese officials were meeting. He said details would be released "in due course."

Meanwhile, the Washington Post quoted a U.S. government official as saying that DeTrani was instructed to listen to the Chinese proposals and make clear that Chinese officials do not have the authority to represent the U.S. position to the North Koreans. The official added that American officials have been frequently dismayed by Chinese 'mischaracterizations' of U.S. stances to the North Koreans, which has led to confusion in the past.