South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said on Friday that China plays a positive and efficient role in the six-party talks on the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula.

Song made the remarks when meeting with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Ning Fukui.

The South Korean government is grateful for the Chinese government's positive role in the six-party talks and hopes that China could continue to play such a key role in the future, Song said.

Ning said China and South Korea have maintained good cooperation during the on-going six-party talks and expected that the two nations could make more contributions to the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2006)