Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei met yesterday in Beijing with the chief US representative to the Korean nuclear talks for discussions on how to advance the negotiations.

China believes the six-party talks should continue, and the goal to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsular should never be changed, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan.

China also emphasized that any settlement should be a peaceful one.

"Under the current complicated situation, we hope all parties concerned will properly handle the existing problems through dialogue and negotiations and resume the talks as early as possible," Kong said.

Christopher Hill, the US representative to the talks, arrived in Beijing yesterday after visiting Japan and the Republic of Korea.