China wants to resume the six-party talks on the Korean Penisula nuclear issue as early as possible, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao on Thursday.

"China is working with other parties to fix a time convenient to all sides," Liu said, adding that topics and negotiation methods could not be decided by any single party.

"If all parties have fully prepared, we want the six-party talks to resume as early as possible," Liu said.

At the invitation of China, the heads of delegations to the talks from China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States had an informal meeting in Beijing Tuesday.

The three heads had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on continuing efforts to advance the process of the talks, and agreed the talks be held soon at a time convenient to the six parties.

The last round of the talks, involving China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, ended with a chairman's statement last November, in which the parties agreed to resume talks as soon as possible.

Liu said that sanctions against the DPRK under UN Security Council Resolution 1718 were not a goal in themselves. Sanctions should be used to help resolve the issue through diplomatic channels, such as dialogue and negotiation, in order to maintain the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

China had always maintained that the nuclear issue should be solved through dialogue, Liu said.

The DPRK had refused to return to the six-party talks since last November due to U.S.-imposed financial sanctions against it, and claimed that it would not return to talks unless the U.S. lifted financial sanctions imposed on a Macao-based bank and DPRK companies, for alleged counterfeiting and other illegal activities.

The DPRK and the U.S.agreed to discuss the issue of financial sanctions within the framework of the six-party talks, he added.

Source: Xinhua