China says it is carefully and prudently studying and examining the results of a probe into the sinking of the Cheonan naval vessel.

At a briefing on Premier Wen Jiabao's upcoming visit to four Asian nations, including South Korea and Japan, Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said Beijing regards the sinking as a "very complicated incident," and that it has no firsthand information about the cause.

Zhang’s comment was in response to a reporter's question on whether Wen has plans to convey China’s own evaluation of the international investigation into the Cheonan case at a meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak over the weekend.

Zhang said that the Chinese leader will discuss regional and international matters of common interest during his bilateral and trilateral talks with the leaders of South Korea and Japan, implying that the Cheonan incident will be on the agenda.