BEIJING, Mar. 14 -- US Secretery of State Condoleezza Rice is leaving for her first trip to Asia as the chief US diplomat on Monday.

    The week-long, six-nation trip will be dominated by the impasse on North Korea's nuclear issue and relations with the continent's growing powerhouse, China.

    It will also be rich in sensitive issues, including Indian-Pakistani relations, Afghanistan's reconstruction and the war on terrorism.

    Rice, who has already traveled to Europe and the Middle East, will set the tone for US President George W. Bush's relations with Asia in his second term in office.

    Rice told ABC television's "This Week" on Sunday that the United States has good cooperation with China in the war on terror and on North Korea.

    However she expressed concern over China's military build-up and the tensions across the Taiwan Straits.

    "What we have to do is to engage in policies that strengthen the chances that China will be a constructive force, not a destructive force."

    Rice described China as a "rising force in international politics," and there are both healthy aspects and troubling aspects to that.

    The US Secretary of State will arrive in Beijing on March 20th for a two-visit at the end of her Asian trip.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)