China, ROK meet on resuming nuclear talks

BEIJING - A nuclear envoy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) has met with senior Chinese officials in Beijing to discuss resuming six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday.

"[Hwang Joon-kook], the ROK's chief negotiator for the six-party talks, met with Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei on Tuesday. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on restarting the talks," said Hua Chunying at a regular news briefing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also met with Hwang on Tuesday.

Wang emphasized that China and the ROK should strengthen cooperation to safeguard Peninsula peace and stability, realize denuclearization and resume the six-party talks at an early date, according to the Foreign Ministry.

"It serves our common interests," Wang said, expressing the hope that China and the ROK can increase communication and make progress on these issues.

The six-party talks involving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the ROK, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, have been suspended since late 2008.