Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing made the remarks yesterday when meeting his Republic of Korea (ROK) counterpart Yoon Young-kwan.

Li stressed the security of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should be ensured, urging all concerned not to take any moves that could escalate the tension.

Yoon arrived in Beijing yesterday for a three-day visit to China. His visit came after the United Nations (UN) Security Council met to discuss the nuclear stand-off on Wednesday.

Shortly before the council convened, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged Washington and Pyongyang to resume dialogue and resolve the nuclear dispute peacefully.

Yoon said that the ROK, being a major player on the peninsula, would continue to promote exchanges and cooperation between the South and the North and make efforts to maintain a nuclear-free peninsula.

The DPRK announced its withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which formally took effect this week under relevant provisions.

The DPRK reactivated its nuclear facilities and said it was hit by an energy crunch after the United States scrapped an earlier agreement and stopped providing it with fuel late last year.

In February, the International Atomic Energy Agency declared the DPRK violated the UN nuclear safeguards provisions and referred the nuclear issue to the Security Council.

The DPRK has voiced strong opposition to internationalizing the issue and declared any decision to impose sanctions on it would be viewed as a "declaration of war."

The two foreign ministers also expressed satisfaction with the continuous growth of bilateral relations over the past few years during their talks yesterday.

Li pointed out the growth of bilateral relations has contributed positively to peace, stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

(China Daily April 11, 2003)