China trying to get N Korea back to talks

BEIJING: China said on Tuesday it was taking active steps to encourage North Korea to return to six-party talks on ending its nuclear programme, a day after Pyongyang said it had conducted a nuclear test.   

Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news briefing that North Korea had ignored international opinion in carrying out the test, which he said had damaged bilateral relations.   

He said the UN Security Council should take action against North Korea but that China was still considering what that action should be.   

"We think the U.N. Security Council should take appropriate action," he said.   

China is a neighbour and traditional Communist ally of North Korea, but it denounced the nuclear test in unusually strong language on Monday and demanded Pyongyang stop any action that could make matters worse.   

Liu said China had always opposed the nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.   

"This stance hasn't changed ... The DPRK (North Korea) ignored the widespread opposition of the international community in brazenly conducting a nuclear test and China resolutely opposes this."   

Liu said China would continue to seek to develop ties with North Korea, but added that relations must be beneficial to regional peace and security.