Korean Peninsula situation to be discussed during ROK president's China visit: spokeswoman

BEIJING, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The situation on the Korean Peninsula will likely be discussed during Republic of Korea (ROK) President Park Geun-hye's upcoming visit to China, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

"The leaders of the two countries will exchange views on China-ROK ties and other issues of common concern, which I believe may include Korean Peninsula-related issues," spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing in response to a question regarding Park's visit.

Park will start her first state visit to China on Thursday at her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping's invitation. Park will hold talks with Xi.

During her stay in Beijing, Park will also meet with Premier Li Keqiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhang Dejiang, respectively, according to the spokeswoman.

During the briefing, Hua mentioned talks held between Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, and the ROK's top nuclear envoy Cho Tae-yong last week in China.

"The two sides agreed that it is in the common interest of all sides concerned, including China and the ROK, to appropriately address the nuclear issue, achieve denuclearization and safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Hua said, referring to the June 21 talks.

"They also agreed to resolve related problems through dialogues and consultations within the framework of the six-party talks," Hua said.

The six-party talks, which involve the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the ROK, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, began in 2003 but stalled in December 2008.

The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009 to protest the international condemnation of its long-range missile tests.

"Following tension on the Korean Peninsula in recent years, there have been some positive moves toward alleviation on the peninsula thanks to joint efforts by all sides involved," Hua said.

"(We) hope all sides will cherish the hard-won opportunity to improve ties and increase mutual trust through dialogues and contacts," she added.

"The six-party talks are still an important platform to help achieve denuclearization and address the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," Hua said, urging all sides to return to the talks as soon as possible.

"China will keep close communication with the ROK and all the other sides on this," she added.

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