Six-party talks "efficient platform" to address Korean Peninsula nuclear issue: Chinese

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BEIJING -- China said Tuesday that the six-party talks are still an efficient platform to address the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks at a routine press briefing, saying China is open to all efforts that are conducive to solving the issue peacefully via political and diplomatic means.

Lu said the joint statement, signed on Sept 19, 2005, is the most important progress in addressing the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue through negotiations, and is of milestone significance.

The document was struck by China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan during the fourth round of the six-party talks.

In the statement, the DPRK reaffirmed its commitment to abandoning nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs. In return, the United States promised not to use nuclear weapons or conventional weapons to attack or invade the DPRK.

Lu said the parties concerned should learn from experience in reaching the agreement, which includes holding that the core of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is over security issues, the key lies with the United States and the DPRK, and concerns of all parties should be resolved in a balanced way.

"We believe if the parties concerned can adhere to those consensus, abide by the spirit of the joint statement and seek ways to address the reasonable concerns of concerned parties, we will find a way out," said the spokesperson.

China has put forward the "double suspension" proposal, which requires the DPRK to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale US-ROK military drills.

China also proposed a dual-track approach to denuclearization on the peninsula on the one hand and establishing a peace mechanism on the other.

Launched in 2003, the six-party talks were suspended in December 2008. The DPRK walked out of the talks in April 2009 in protest against UN sanctions.