China encourages talks to ease peninsula situation

China encourages parties related to the Korean Peninsula to have talks "in whatever form", Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang reiterated on Wednesday.

Lu made the remarks after a military source from the Republic of Korea was reported to have confirmed that the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had three "military contacts" in December 2012.

Facts have shown that whenever the situation on the peninsula was less tense was during the time when all relevant parties kept talking and implemented the agreements they had reached, Lu said, adding that he hoped these countries will work together and contribute to the denuclearization and peace of the peninsula.

Lu also dismissed comments by James Clapper, director of US National Intelligence that the US policy of trying to persuade the DPRK to give up nuclear weapons "is probably a lost cause".

Lu, emphasizing the need to maintain talks and contact, pointed out that the Six-Party Talks once made the DPRK "take solid action" to give up all its nuclear weapons and nuclear plans.

"It was exactly during the halt of the Six-Party Talks that the DPRK went toward nuclearization and conducted nuclear experiments time and again," he said.