Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and senior White House Asia adviser Jeffrey Bader are aiming to improve relations following frictions with Beijing over trade, Tibet and Taiwan.

Before their plane landed Tuesday, however, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang reiterated Beijing’s insistence that now is not the time for new U.N. Security Council sanctions against Tehran for its nuclear defiance.

“We call for resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic means,” Qin said.

Qin was responding to questions about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s comments Monday that Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions, after its initial skepticism. China, one of five veto-wielding permanent Security Council members, signed on to three earlier rounds of sanctions but has showed no indication of budging on new measures.

– Associated Press

PAKISTAN

Charges detailed against 5 Americans

Prosecutors seeking to indict five Americans on terrorist charges submitted their case to a judge in Sarghoda, Pakistan, on Tuesday, accusing the men of waging war against Pakistan and plotting to attack the country.

The five, all young Muslims from the Washington area, were arrested in December in Punjab province not long after reaching Pakistan. They had been reported missing by their families.