China said yesterday that it would enhance cooperation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to address major regional concerns including denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Premier Wen Jiabao made the remarks when meeting his DPRK counterpart Kim Yong-il amid mounting tensions in Northeast Asia sparked by Pyongyang's plan to launch a satellite.

Pyongyang has said it would launch the satellite between April 4 and 8, which the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) claim is a test of a long-range missile.

Concerned countries are looking to Beijing, which enjoys long-standing friendship with Pyongyang and plays a key role in the Korean Peninsula's denuclearization process, to ease the tension.

During their one-hour meeting, Wen told Kim that Beijing would like to communicate and cooperate better with Pyongyang on major international and regional issues.

He also said China seeks to actively push forward the Six-Party Talks and continue its "constructive role" in the denuclearization of the peninsula. The talks stalled last year over verification of the DPRK's nuclear activities.

On Tuesday, Kim spent the first day of his five-day visit in Shandong province, visiting the Taishan Mountain and the Confucius Temple in Qufu. He is scheduled to meet President Hu Jintao today.

Liu Jiangyong, an expert on East Asia studies at Tsinghua University, said Wen's suggestion on enhancing cooperation on regional issues shows China is keen to help sooth tensions.

"Pyongyang has no diplomatic ties with Washington and Tokyo, while its relations with Seoul have dramatically deteriorated recently. Beijing is an irreplaceable channel connecting Pyongyang and the world," he said.

(China Daily March 19, 2009)