WASHINGTON - A US delegation heads to Beijing Tuesday for talks with Chinese authorities on implementing UN sanctions against North Korea for conducting a nuclear test last month, the State Department said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Monday with Ambassador Philip Goldberg, who is in charge of coordinating implementation of the sanctions, "to discuss his upcoming trip," a State Department official said.

"Ambassador Goldberg is heading an interagency delegation that plans to depart tomorrow for China," said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.

China has been criticized by the United States in the past for lacking enthusiasm for implementing UN sanctions against its ally North Korea.

UN Security Council Resolution 1874, adopted in response to the May 25 nuclear test, calls for beefed up inspections of air, sea and land shipments going to and from North Korea, and an expanded arms embargo.