China hopes the UN Security Council will move to indicate the firm stand of the international community and help create the conditions necessary for a peaceful solution to the Korean nuclear issue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on Sunday.
 
Liu was commenting on the UN Security Council resolution concerning the nuclear test conducted by North Korea on October 9.

China hopes that while representing the firm stand of the international community, the UN Security Council resolution should also create favorable conditions for peacefully solving the issue through dialogue and negotiations, Liu said.

The resolution, co-sponsored by the US and eight other nations, condemns North Korea’s nuclear test, demands that North Korea eliminate its nuclear weapons and nuclear programs, and imposes new sanctions on it in relation to its nuclear, ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

"China is resolutely opposed to the nuclear test by North Korea, and determined to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula peacefully through dialogue and consultation," Liu said.

Maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region also conforms to the common interests of the international community, Liu said.

"China participated in preparing the UN resolution with these principles in mind," he said.

The UN resolution also welcomes and encourages further efforts by all states concerned to intensify their diplomatic efforts, refrain from any actions that might aggravate tension and to facilitate the early resumption of six-party talks, which involve China, the US, Russia, Japan, and North and South Korea.

The resolution makes it clear that the council will suspend or lift sanctions against North Korea if it complies with terms of the resolution, according to Wang Guangya, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN.

Six-party talks to resolve the Korean nuclear issue stalled after North Korea criticized the US for imposing economic sanctions on it after the first phase of the fifth round of talks ended last November.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2006)