China will work closely with the other parties and try to make the upcoming new round of six-party talks proceed smoothly and achieve substantive progress, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in Beijing Thursday. 

Kong Quan said as a member of the six-party talks and the host nation, China will take a "serious and responsible attitude" and work closely with the other parties in the talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula.

"We hope the new round of talks would proceed smoothly and achieve progress, and this is also the common aspiration of all parties concerned and the international community," Kong said.

The fourth round of talks will begin in Beijing next Tuesday, involving China, the US, Russia, Japan, North and South Korea.

According to Kong, the head of the Chinese delegation will be Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, and the head of the North Korean delegation is Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan.

The South Korean delegation will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, the US delegation by Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the Russian delegation by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev, and the Japanese delegation by Sasae Kenichiro, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Asia and Oceanian Affairs Bureau.

The six parties held three rounds of talks in Beijing previously, but no substantive progress was made.

The new round of talks will begin at 9:00 AM (0100 GMT) Tuesday at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the venue for the previous three rounds, said Kong.

As for how long the new round of talks will last, Kong said it will depend on how the talks proceed, and China will "respect the will of all relevant sides."

The specific agenda of the talks is still under discussion, he added.

As for whether the six parties could reach agreement on a certain form of written document, the spokesperson said, it will be decided after the talks begin.

"We hope all the participating parties would take a constructive attitude, show flexibility and sincerity, and work together with unremitting efforts to achieve positive progress of the talks and the final peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue," he said. 

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2005)