China hopes that the six-party talks will resume at an early date and achieve new progress in the new year, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing Thursday.

Qin told a regular press conference that the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is confronted with some new and complicated factors. All parties concerned should take the whole situation into account and properly handle relevant issues through full communication and consultation, he noted.

Qin expressed his hope that all concerned parties jointly create a sound environment to push forward the progress of the six-party talks.

"China will, as always, keep contacts with all other five parties," the spokesman said.

The six-party talks, which is aimed at resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, entered the fifth round in November 2005. The six parties - China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan - agreed in a chairman's document on Nov. 11 to hold the second-phase meeting of the fifth round at the earliest possible date.

Source: Xinhua