Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Thursday called on all
parties concerned to play "constructive roles" in peacefully
resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
"The nuclear question of the Korean Peninsula has a complicated
background and requires a process and unremitting efforts from
various parties to resolve it," Liu told a regular briefing. "We
hope that parties concerned will continue to show sincerity and
play constructive roles."
He
added that China remains willing to work with the international
community to peacefully resolve the issue.
China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the
United States started talks in West Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guest
House on Wednesday. The three delegations were headed respectively
by Fu Ying, director-general of the Department of Asian Affairs
under the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Li Gun, deputy director of US
affairs at the DPRK Foreign Ministry and James Kelly, US assistant
secretary of state for Asia and Pacific affairs.
Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi chaired the opening session
and welcomed the participation of the DPRK and the US, according to
Liu.
Declining to give any details of the talks, Liu told the press that
the parties have fully expounded their positions on the nuclear
question and the situation on the Korean Peninsula and expressed
their concerns.
This will enhance mutual understanding as well as seeking ways for
resolving the nuclear issue peacefully through dialogues, Liu
said.
A
statement carried on the DPRK's official KCNA news agency Thursday
said the key to the talks would be Washington's willingness to
change what Pyongyang sees as a hostile policy towards it.
The KCNA report said the United States should renounce its
"hostile" intent before there could be discussions about
dismantling the DPRK's suspected nuclear weapons program and
verification.
The talks in Beijing, the first of its kind after tension over the
DPRK nuclear issue escalated last October, have attracted wide
attention in the region.
Liu Thursday said that China appreciates the stance of the
neighboring countries to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully
through dialogue and welcomes input from countries concerned about
the matter for constructive roles.
However, he added that related issues should be dealt with by
countries concerned.
(China Daily April 25, 2003)