China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting series that about the Korea Peninsula's nuclear issue, the UN Security Council's resolutions should be implemented and all sides should work hard to avoid escalation of tension.

"China's stand is very firm. We are working very hard for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and we are totally against nuclear proliferation...This issue, the nuclear issue, should be solved by peaceful means through diplomatic negotiation," Yang said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (2nd L) speaks to the media in Phuket of Thailand, July 23, 2009. Yang Jiechi told reporters Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting series that about the Korea Peninsula's nuclear issue, the UN Security Council's resolutions should be implemented and all sides should work hard to avoid escalation of tension. [Xinhua]

Yang made the remark before he entered the venue for the 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a top security forum in Asia which is held in the Thai southern island of Phuket on Thursday.

China is working for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asia, he said.

Yang arrived in Phuket on Tuesday night to attend the ASEAN and dialogue partners' meeting on Wednesday as well as the ARF.

"At the meetings I attended yesterday, many participants stressed the importance of continuing to have the six-party talks. They believe that this is the effective platform on which we can proceed to properly solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Yang said a sooner restart of the six-party talks will "do everybody good".

"So one should take a long-term and strategic point of view, and work for the earlier resumption of the six-party talks. China stays in close touch with all the parties concerned, because this is a good cause, this is a very important cause," Yang said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2009)