China will send diplomats to related countries for consultations before the third round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue scheduled for later this month, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Ning Fukui, ambassador on Korean Peninsula affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, is to visit Russia, the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) soon for "working consultations" on issues related to the third round of talks, said spokesman Liu Jianchao.

Cui Tiankai, director-general of the ministry's Asian Affairs Department, will also exchange views with officials of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) on the new round of talks during his upcoming visit to the two countries, said Liu, in response to a question from the media on whether China has any plan for mediation among related countries before the third round of six-party talks.

At the first working group meeting of the six-party talks in Beijing last month, negotiators from the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, Russia, Japan and China agreed the third round of six-party talks be held in Beijing before the end of June after one more working-level discussion.

"The third round of six-party talks is very important," said Liu, adding the key for success lies in whether all parties concerned will have been fully prepared before the talks.

Now that there are still "comparatively big differences" among the parties concerned, China hopes the related parties could continue to take a constructive attitude, show flexibility to the full, seek and expand common grounds, narrow differences, and work actively to find solutions, the spokesman said.

China is ready to continue its role in facilitating the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue through dialogue in order to push forward six-party talks process, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2004)