China says it hopes bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea, if they can be arranged, lead to the resumption of the six-way nuclear talks.

China’s top nuclear negotiator, Wu Dawei, said in a statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Web site Thursday that China supports any measures that would help push forward the six-nation negotiations.

Wu added that China supports bilateral talks between members of the six-way framework, expressing hope that possible U.S.-North Korea talks can yield substantial results.