ALL sides should stay calm and
try to ensure an early resumption of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula
nuclear issue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said yesterday.
Liu told a press conference in Beijing the priority was to resume talks, and
that all sides had an interest in seeing this happen.
He said China was consulting closely with other parties, but sustained and
determined efforts were still needed.
He said "positive signals" had emerged recently, including a consensus by the
countries involved in the six-way talks - the United States, Russia, China,
Japan, South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - to resume
dialogue, but said the countries still disagreed about how this should be done.
Liu said the next step was to find an acceptable way forward for all sides
through close communication and negotiation.
Liu also said that the DPRK told State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan during his
visit last week that it had no plans for a second nuclear test, and was willing
to resume six-party talks.
Tang visited the DPRK as a special envoy of President Hu Jintao, and met
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Liu said UN sanctions recently adopted against North Korea were not a goal in
themselves but were to help resolve the nuclear issue through diplomatic
channels, such as dialogue and negotiation, in order to maintain peace and
stability on the Korean Peninsula.
He said all sides should not arbitrarily extend sanctions, and avoid
confrontation.
Liu reaffirmed China's adherence to the resolution, saying that China would
"fully and firmly implement the resolution", and had prepared a series of
measures to do this.
Liu said adherence to the resolution was in China's interests, and the
Chinese government would counter any actions in China that contravened the
resolution, Liu said.
Liu said that aid China gives to North Korea was to improve living conditions
and was a plank of China's policy to help preserve stability on the peninsula.
Liu said frontier control measures on the North Korean border ensured peace
and stability in the area, and no link should be made with the situation on the
peninsula.
He also announced that UN Secretary General-designate Ban Ki-Moon would visit
China from Friday to Saturday at the invitation of the Chinese government.
Liu said Ban was expected to meet Hu and Tang and hold talks with Chinese
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.
