US President George W. Bush (R) met with Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, in the Oval Office on Thursday. -Xinhua

US President George W. Bush met with Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in the Oval Office yesterday.

During the meeting, Tang delivered a verbal message from President Hu to Bush, and stressed that it is in the interests of China and the United States, as well as the interests of Northeast Asian countries to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.

China and the United States should enhance cooperation, handle the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) appropriately and prevent the situation from getting worse or even getting out of control, Tang said.

Tang said the DPRK nuclear issue is now at the crossroads and China hopes all parties concerned should keep coolheaded, seek to resolve the issue through consultations and dialogue and work for an early resumption of the six-party talks.

For his part, Bush thanked President Hu for his verbal message, and stressed that the Untied States and China should cooperate more in safeguarding the peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

The United States is committed to seeking ways to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue through diplomatic and peaceful means, Bush said.

Earlier Thursday, Tang met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and exchanged views with them on issues including the DPRK nuclear test, the six-party talks and the Northeast Asia situation.