China, ROK vow to push for early restart of Korean nuclear talks

Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said in Beijing Thursday that China will push for an early resumption of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue. China appreciates Republic of Korea's (ROK) contribution.

"China insists on seeking a peaceful solution of the issue through dialogue and we appreciate ROK's contribution to that goal, " Tang told visiting ROK Prime Minister Lee Hae-Chan at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

China supports the improvement of North-South relations on the Korean peninsula and China will, along with all concerned parties, push for an early resumption of the six-party talks, he said.

The six-party talks involve China, the United States, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan. Three rounds of talks were held in Beijing through 2003 but talks were stalled after the last round in 2004.

Lee, who is here for a three-day visit, said that the ROK and China share common opinions and a stance on the nuclear issue. He spoke highly of China's role in the talks and vowed to exert joint efforts with concerned parties for an early revival of talks.

The two sides also exchanged views on the reform of the United Nations. They agreed that the UN reform should be comprehensive and variegated and it should place the emphasis on maintaining the UN's authority, improving its efficiency and supporting developing countries, according to diplomatic sources.

UN reform should place top priority on widening the representativeness of developing countries and seeking the broadest consensus on related proposals, they said.

China is ROK's largest trade partner while ROK is China's fourth largest trade partner. The bilateral trade value is expected to exceed 100 billion US dollars in 2005 after it hit 90 billion US dollars in 2004.

Source: Xinhua