UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday said China has played a crucial role in the Korean Peninsula's nuclear disarmament talks.

Wrapping up his seventh visit to the country at Peking University, Annan praised China for its contribution to the Six-Party Talks and urged all parties to redouble their efforts and end the current stalemate.

"China's ongoing leadership will be essential to ensure multilateral diplomatic efforts result in a peninsula free from nuclear weapons," he said. "We cannot allow the current stalemate to continue."

Annan, who met with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao during his five-day visit, said he had spent a good deal of time talking to the Chinese leaders about non-proliferation and disarmament, including the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in Iran.

His call for renewed efforts in the Six-Party Talks came a day ahead of US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill's visit to Beijing.

Hill, the top US negotiator to the talks, is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, today in a bid to restart negotiations.

In a wide-ranging address Annan also suggested China, the Republic of Korea and Japan should pool their efforts on issues of common concern to pave the way for improved relations.

He said his discussion with Chinese leaders had reinforced his optimism about China's willingness to work towards strengthening ties within and beyond its neighbourhood.

Annan, who visited the Republic of Korea and Japan before travelling to China, said he was encouraged by the desire of leaders in all three countries to improve ties.

He said the ties that bind these three countries are deep and multi-layered, with people-to-people contact becoming a way of life.

He also suggested that the three countries could work together on common challenges starting with "protecting the environment in this part of the world" and also "combining their efforts to advance a green revolution in Africa."

His proposal was echoed by students at Peking University, who invited him to the first international forum on environmental protection for university students, which will be held in Beijing in June.

More than 130 students got the chance to meet Annan in person and many were impressed by his diplomatic style.

"He looks kinder in the flesh than on TV, and his speech was full of expectations for the young people who'll be shaping the future of China," said Guan Le, a third year student major in finance.

During an hour-long discussion students put forward questions on poverty, health and development in the Third World.

Xu Zhihong, President of Peking University, presented Annan with a teapot as a souvenir at the end of the discussion.

After the speech, Annan visited the site of the main Olympic stadium for the 2008 Beijing games before flying to Hanoi, the fourth leg of his five-nation Asian tour.

Source: China Daily