Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has reiterated that his country will work to hold emergency consultations among the envoys of the six-way nuclear talks.

Yang told reporters last week in Beijing that the six-nation talks are a key way to push forward efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to maintain peace and stability in Northeast Asia. He stressed that concerned parties should take full advantage of the multilateral dialogue.

Yang said that although the stalled talks have yet to resume, now is the appropriate time for the chief delegates of the talks to meet for emergency consultations.

China proposed late last month that emergency consultations be held after North Korea staged an artillery attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island on November 23rd. However, South Korea, the United States and Japan have all rejected the proposal.