China says six-party talks with NKorea to resume

Beijing, Oct 31: North Korea has agreed to return to stalled six-party talks on ending its nuclear programmes after holding an informal meeting with the United States and China in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said tosday.

The three countries had agreed to resume talks at a time convenient for all six parties in the near future, the ministry said on its Web site. The other three countries are South Korea, Japan and Russia.

US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was due to hold a news conference in Beijing at 1200 GMT, an American embassy official said.

The UN Security Council voted on October 14 to impose financial and arms sanctions on North Korea after it staged its first nuclear test on October 9.

Earlier today, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Beijing has no plans to sever aid to or trade with North Korea.

Liu denied that an apparent drop in China's oil exports to the isolated fortress state signalled a shift in policy.

Chinese oil trade data released on Monday indicated that in September China sent no crude to North Korea at all.

The North relies on China for nearly all its oil, but has strained long-standing ties by test-firing missiles in July and then staging its first nuclear test this month -- both despite public pleas for restraint from China's leaders.

Beijing bluntly criticised the North's nuclear test and backed the sanctions.

Reuters