During US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's 20-hour stay in Beijing, China's role in restarting the six-party talks were applauded and experts attributed the resumption of talks to all sides' diplomatic endeavors.

China has been playing a "very active" role in relaunching the six-party talks, which Rice considers "an important first step" to settle the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and realize a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Rice made the remarks at a press conference held by the US embassy in Beijing after her separate talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and her Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing Sunday morning.

Since China started to mediate the nuclear dispute between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2003, China has hosted several rounds of China-DPRK-US talks and six-party talks in Beijing.

The first six-party talks, involving China, DPRK, the United States, Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, was launched on Aug. 27, 2003 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in downtown Beijing.

But after the third round of the international nuclear talks, DPRK decided to suspend participation, claiming US' policy of hostility.

On Saturday, DPRK announced that it had agreed with the United States to hold the fourth round of six-party talks in the week beginning July 25 after secrete meeting between diplomats of the two countries in Beijing.

"I think Chinese have played a very active role to show North Korea what path ahead might look like," Rice said, considering it "a very good thing" to come back to the talks

Fu Mengzi, director of the institute of American study under the China academy of contemporary international relations, said that China has always been working for amicable settlement and promoting talks on the issue.

"China, as a constructive force, has made a lot of 'quiet diplomacy' in solving the issue", said Jin Canrong, a professor with the Chinese People's University.

Since the six-party talks were initiated, China has sent senior government and Party officials to DPRK and the United States to pass on messages, Jin said.

When DPRK announced in February this year to suspend participation in the talks, Wang Jiarui, head of the CPC Central Committee International Department, conveyed a message to DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il.

Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan is also scheduled to visit DPRK from July 12 to 14 as special envoy of President Hu Jintao, one-week before the expected fourth round of nuclear talks.

With the mediation from China and other countries, the United States also changed its hard position and agreed to hold one-to-one dialogue with DPRK under the six-party talks framework, which help to reopen the talks, according to local analysts.

Source: Xinhua