China on Tuesday said the situation in northeast Asia showed signs of thawing and urged continued efforts to improve it.

"As the situation in Northeast Asia has recently shown signs of thawing, we expect all parties involved in the Korean nuclear talks to seize this opportunity to continuously transform the situation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular briefing.

In August, a series of unusual occurrences took place between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Republic of Korea (ROK).

The DPRK released four ROK fishermen who were detained last month after their boat strayed into northern waters. DPRK and ROK also agreed on holding reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 war, which was widely said to "be a new watershed in improving inter-Korean relations".

"We hope parties will play a constructive part in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and seek regional peace and stability," Jiang said.

About a DPRK delegation in Beijing, Jiang said it was led by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il and was part of bilateral exchange programs to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries this year.

"The DPRK delegation will meet with Chinese Foreign Ministry officials to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues concerning both parties," Jiang said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2009)