China calls for Korean Peninsular restraint

BEIJING - China called on all parties concerned in the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue to remain calm and exercise restraint to create conditions for an early resumption of nuclear talks, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

"We hope all parties will take the overall situation into consideration, remain calm and exercise restraint, do more things conducive to easing the situation and maintain the momentum of dialogue and contact so as to create conditions to promote the early resumption of six-party talks and put the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue into a reliable and sustainable process of dialogue, " spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.

Hua made the remarks in response to a question concerning current situation on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the Yonhap news agency of the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Tuesday, ROK's intelligence agency confirmed that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) restarted its mothballed Yongbyon nuclear reactor around two months ago.

Meanwhile, the DPRK said in a statement that the country's army "are on high alert to promptly foil provocation" of U.S.-Japan-ROK joint naval drills and were ordered to be "ready to launch operations any time."

The routine naval drills off the Korean Peninsula between the ROK, the United States and Japan had been scheduled earlier this week, but they were postponed for a few days due to an approaching typhoon. It is not yet confirmed when they will carry out the exercise, Yonhap said.

Hua said China has always advocated denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and safeguarded its peace and stability.

China insists that the issue should be resolved through dialogue and consultation, she said, calling for efforts from all parties concerned.

There was a momentum of relaxation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula with efforts from all parties not long ago, said Hua. "This is worth cherishing," she said.

The six-party nuclear talks between China, the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan, have been stalled since late 2008.