China hopes the countries concerned to continue the process of the Beijing talks on the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with a flexible and pragmatic attitude, said a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing Thursday.

When asked by reporters to comment on the DPRK unclear issue at the regular press conference, Liu Jianchao said China does not hope that the process of the Beijing talks would be hindered because of difference in form, and also does not hope that the goal of making the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free and maintaining peace and stability in the peninsula would be affected by difference in form.

Liu noted that the foreign ministers of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) stated their stances on the DPRK nuclear issue during their meetings on Tuesday.

Japan and the ROK appreciated Beijing's hosting of the talks on the issue, and both nations held that the process of the talks would continue, he added.

At present, he went on, the international community has a common objective of realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining the peninsula's peace and stability.

The Beijing talks is a good start for the peaceful settlement of the DPRK nuclear issue through dialogue, Liu acknowledged.

Meanwhile, the spokesman said the international community generally hopes this process would go on and that the Chinese side has all along been in contact with the relevant countries.

(Xinhua News Agency June 19, 2003)