China's Hu discusses North Korea with Bush

BEIJING, July 6 (Reuters) China's President Hu Jintao today held talks with US President George W. Bush and reiterated Beijing's ''serious concerns'' after North Korea's missile tests, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

A defiant North Korea acknowledged for the first time today that it had launched several missiles, vowed to carry out more tests and threatened to use force if the international community tried to stop it.

''We are seriously concerned about the current situation,'' the statement quoted Hu as saying, echoing earlier comments by the foreign ministry.

''We would like to maintain communication and consultation on the current situation with all involved parties,'' Hu said, adding that he hoped all sides would remain calm and that six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear programmes could be resumed as soon as possible.

The statement also quoted Bush as saying that the United States remained committed to a diplomatic solution to the issue.

''The United States still insists it is committed to resolving the issue through diplomatic means. We respect what China has done for the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula, and said the US is willing to keep communication with China,'' the statement quoted Bush as saying.

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