Chinese state councilor meets DPRK official

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with Kim Kye Gwan, First Vice Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Beijing on Tuesday.

Kim is in China for an international workshop on the 10th anniversary of the six-party talks.

The China-DPRK relationship is at a crucial stage that connects the past and the future. Both sides should keep up with the times, grasp opportunities and tackle challenges to advance the healthy, stable development of bilateral ties, Yang said.

The six-party talks are an effective mechanism for realizing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining peace and stability of the peninsula and Northeast Asia, as well as an important platform for relevant parties to improve relations, Yang said.

"China hopes relevant parties make concerted efforts to strive for an early resumption of the six-party talks," Yang said.

Kim said the DPRK-China friendship should carry on, and bilateral ties should be strengthened.

The six-party talks are an important platform for achieving denuclearization of the peninsula. DPRK supports China's effort to restart the talks and is willing to keep in-depth communication with China, Kim said.

The talks, which group China, Russia, the United States, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea and Japan, have been stalled since late 2008.

Also on Tuesday, Yang met with King of Jordan Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein on bilateral ties, the Syria situation and the Middle East peace process.

King Abdullah II is paying a state visit to China from Sept. 15 to 18, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.