Without specifying the “uncertain factors,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang insisted on March 17 that the parties seek dialogue, show restraint and keep cool-headed to ensure the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in northeast Asia.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) declared on February 24 that it planned to launch a communications satellite as part of a peaceful space programme. But the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have voiced suspicions that it was a cover for the test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile.

Qin said China had noted the DPRK’s announcement that it would launch a communications satellite and the response of the international community.

China would seek to keep close communications with all parties concerned, said Qin hours after DPRK Premier Kim Yong Il arrived in Beijing on the morning of March 17 for a five-day official visit.

When answering a question about the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Qin said it was widely acknowledged that the six-party talks were an effective mechanism to achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula, the normalisation of relations and regional peace and stability.   

Meanwhile, the RoK’s officials reported that the DPRK on March 17 fully reopened its border for goods and people headed for a joint industry trial estate.