Tehran says its nuclear programme is peaceful
China is ready to hold "serious" talks with Western powers about new sanctions against Iran, senior US officials say.
UN ambassador Susan Rice said the US, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China had agreed to begin drafting a UN resolution on Iran's nuclear programme.
Beijing had made the commitment in a phone call on Wednesday, US officials told the Associated Press news agency.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, is in China - which has major economic ties with Iran - for talks.
Western countries have long suspected Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons, but Tehran says the programme is for peaceful purposes.
China has in the past expressed reluctance to see new sanctions imposed, and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, along with France, the US, the UK, and Russia, it has the power to veto such a move.
Ms Rice told CNN: "China has agreed to sit down and begin serious negotiations here in New York with the others in the [group of six] ... as a first step towards getting the entire Security Council on board with a tough sanctions regime against Iran.
"This is progress, but the negotiations have yet to begin in earnest."
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters news agency President Hu Jintao would attend a summit on nuclear security in Washington later in the month.
"China strongly values the nuclear security issue and opposes nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism," Qin Gang added.
Meanwhile Mr Jalili arrived in Beijing for "bilateral talks and to discuss the nuclear issue", Iran's Irna news agency reported.
"The relationship between Iran and China is very important, and it is very important for our two countries to cooperate on all the issues," he told Iranian media.
On Wednesday, US media reported an Iranian nuclear scientist had defected.
ABC News said Shahram Amiri had been resettled in the US and was helping the CIA try to block Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran accused the US of abducting him, but Washington has denied any knowledge of the scientist.
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