U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke on Thursday with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo about the North Korean nuclear issue.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said that Clinton had a "lengthy" telephone conversation with the Chinese official.

Crowley said the two discussed Washington's ongoing engagement regarding a new U.N. Security Council resolution on Iran and also mutual efforts to get North Korea back to the six-party process.

Asked about policy differences on Syria, Iran and North Korea, Crowley said that in the case of North Korea, the U.S. has specifically said that if the North wants normal bilateral ties with the U.S., there's a clear path to get there, hinting at U.S. hopes for Pyongyang’s return to the denuclearization process.