The progress in the disarmament talks came as the leaders of North and South Korea began the second day of a separate three-day summit meeting in Pyongyang, only the second such meeting between the states since the Korean Peninsula was divided in 1945.

Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and the lead American negotiator on the Korean nuclear issue, had breakfast on Tuesday with his two bosses— Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and President Bush— to brief them on progress, said Sean D. McCormack, the State Department spokesman.

“We have conveyed to the Chinese government our approval for the draft statement,” McCormack said. “All the parties went back to their capitals. We studied it, examined it, gave our approval to the Chinese.”

North Korea has also been seeking a joint statement that would include a written reference to being removed from a US list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The senior administration official said on Tuesday that “we’ve agreed on a way forward on that,” but declined to elaborate further.

The statement issued by China said: “The DPRK and the US remain committed to improving their bilateral relations and moving towards a full diplomatic relationship. The two sides will increase bilateral exchanges and enhance mutual trust.”

A second senior administration official said the US has told North Korea that one of the things it must disclose are details of whatever nuclear material it has been supplying to Syria. American and Israeli officials have indicated that a recent Israeli airstrike in Syria was directed at nuclear material supplied by North Korea. If the North Koreans meet the schedule and disable their equipment, it would be a major victory for the Bush administration at a time when it is eager to claim progress on some diplomatic front to offset its problems in Iraq. David E. Sanger and David Stout contributed reporting.