China Pushes for Talks on Korean Peninsula

China Pushes for Talks on Korean PeninsulaBeijing, Dec 1. -China reiterated its call to hold talks and negotiateon the Korean issue, given the worsening of the situation on that peninsula.

Under the current circumstances, it is imperative to hold talks and negotiate, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

The reiterated request is related to the proposal Beijing made Sunday for representatives of the six-way talks on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula to hold emergency meetings in early December.

China is hosting that process, which also involves the United States, Russia, Japan, and North and South Korea.

"We hope all the parties seriously analyze the proposal," said Lei, adding that the Japanese negotiator in those talks, Akitaka Saiki, is in Beijing to meet with Chinese Special Representative for Korean Affairs, Wu Dawei.

The situation on the Korean peninsula worsened after the incident on Nov. 23, when North Korea responded to South Korean shots over its jurisdictional waters, which Pyongyang called a premeditated provocation encouraged by Washington. Seoul reported four people dead and several injured in the crossfire.

Another aggravating factor is the U.S.-South Korean naval maneuvers which started Sunday in the Yellow Sea. (Prensa Latina)