China is proposing to convene an emergency consultation with members of the six-party talks amid growing tensions on the Korean peninsula, a Chinese official and an American official said on November 28.
"The Chinese side, after careful studies, proposes to have emergency consultations among the heads of delegation to the six-party talks in early December in Beijing to exchange views on major issues of concern to the parties at present," Wu Dawei, Chinese special representative for Korean peninsula affairs, told journalists.
"The six-party talks play an important role in strengthening communication among the parties, advancing denuclearization on the peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula and in northeast Asia," he said.
As both the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s largest trading partner and a country engaged in diplomatic talks with the Republic of Korea (RoK), China is dealing with both sides of an increasingly divided Korean peninsula.
Diplomats, seeking a lessening of tensions and a return to the six-party talks with the DPRK over the country's nuclear aspirations, have busily labored to avert more hostilities. The United States, China, Japan, Russia, the RoK and the DPRK are the six countries that have been involved in the discussions, which were put on hold in 2008.
"The United States is consulting with the RoK, Japan and other countries on China's proposal for emergency talks on the DPRK crisis," a State Department spokesperson said on November 28.
(CNN)
