Losiukov, who is also the Russian President's special envoy, will next travel to Pyongyang to discuss the nuclear issue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"We hope that the (Russian envoy's) mediation will succeed," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue at a regular briefing.

Losiukov's visit is among a flurry of international efforts to ease the current nuclear tension on the Korean Peninsula. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly and Vice-Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing talked the issue over on Wednesday. United Nations (UN) and Australian delegations hoping to ease the tension have also exchanged views with the Chinese side, according to Zhang.

"China is willing to exert joint efforts with related sides and push for the early resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue," Zhang said. "We will keep in close contact and consultation with related parties."

Zhang said during a briefing on Tuesday that there are no objections on the Chinese side if the DPRK and the United States want to hold talks in Beijing. However, she said Thursday that so far neither side has made the proposal.

China has reiterated on various occasions that it supports peace, stability and non-nuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. China has also advocated dialogue as the most effective way to resolve the problem.

Zhang also announced Thursday that Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan will attend an anti-terrorism meeting of foreign ministers to be held by the United Nations Security Council in New York next Monday.

According to Zhang, the meeting will review international anti-terrorism cooperation since the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States, and determine the focus for the new year.

Tang will address the meeting regarding China's stance on the fight against terrorism and will hold talks with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and exchange views on issues of common concern with foreign ministers of various countries, Zhang said.

Regarding Iraq, Zhang said that China is still studying the weapons report submitted by Iraq to the UN.

"The most important thing to remember is that the contents of the report can only be assessed through on-the-spot checks by the UN weapons inspectors," Zhang said. "Only on-the-spot checks can yield a just and objective judgment on the situation in Iraq."

Zhang said that China has provided a list of experts to the UN and some Chinese experts have participated in nuclear-weapon-related inspections.

(China Daily January 17, 2003)