China, Russia pledge to resolve Korean Peninsula issues

BEIJING - Dialogue and consultations are the only effective means to resolve issues on the Korean Peninsula, according to a China-Russia joint statement released on Wednesday.

In the statement, issued during Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-day state visit to China, the two sides reiterated that safeguarding peace and stability and pushing for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula conform to the common aspiration of all parties concerned.

"To achieve this goal is of vital significance for maintaining peace, stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region," it read.

According to the document, China and Russia firmly oppose any action harmful to peace and stability as well as the denuclearization process on the Peninsula.

The two nations also urged all parties concerned to exercise restraint and avoid further complication of the situation on the peninsula.

They called for an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks to address concerns in a peaceful and balanced way and achieve permanent peace and stability in the region.

The Six-Party Talks - which bring together China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan - were launched in August 2003, but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009.