BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- The fifth-round of the six-party talks will begin on Nov. 9 in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan announced at a regular press conference here Thursday.

    Kong did not say how long the negotiation would last, but said that "holding the talks by phases in the new round could have a better result" as the chief negotiators of the six parties might also attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit slated for mid November in Pusan of the Republic of Korea (ROK).

    The experience in the last round of the talks has proved that it is a "good idea" to hold the talks by phases, the spokesman added.

    "We hope the participants in the new round of negotiation could have an in-depth exchange of views on the consensus reached in the last round," said Kong.

    The six-party talks, aiming at resolving the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula, group China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan. The first round was held in August 2003 in Beijing.

    "If all parties could take commitment to commitment and action to action based on the joint statement reached during the fourth round of the talks, and earnestly push forward the discussion and agree to take further steps, there would be positive result," Kong said.

    The fourth-round six-party talks ended on Sept. 19 with the adopting of the first joint statement. The DPRK pledged in the statement to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and return, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

    The United States affirms that it has no nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula and has no intention of attacking or invading the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons, says the statement.

    China has all along contributed to the peaceful settlement of the Korean nuclear issue. It advocated to hold the the six-party talks, which has been proved to be an effective way to solve the complicated issue. Fourth rounds have been held up to now.

    Chinese President Hu Jintao Wednesday concluded an official and goodwill visit to the DPRK. Hu told DPRK leader Kim Jong Il that the fourth round of the six-party talks has achieved substantial progress, and stressed that China upholds the objective of building a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and resolving the problem through dialogue. Kim promised the DPRK will attend the fifth round of six-party talks "as scheduled".

    Chinese senior officials including Vice Premier Wu Yi and StateCouncilor Tang Jiaxuan also visited the DPRK after the fourth round six-party talks, and the negotiation was on the agenda of their visits.

    The DPRK and Japan held bilateral talks Thursday in Beijing. DPRK head Song Il-Ho and Akitaka Saiki, Japanese head and deputy head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, discussed the issue left over from the past as well as the upcoming six-party talks.

    "We don't think the six-party talks is the best arena for the DPRK and Japan to discuss the issue left over from history, and they should consult with each other within the bilateral framework," said Kong. 

Bush to visit China

    US president George W. Bush will meet with Chinese leaders during his upcoming visit to China, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan Thursday.

    Kong said Bush will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and meet with Premier Wen Jiabao, respectively.

    It is the fifth meeting between Hu and Bush, Kong noted, adding that the two sides are expected to exchange views and reach a consensus on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

    It is believed that Chinese and US leaders will make joint efforts to push forward a constructive relationship.

    Bush is scheduled to visit China from November 19 to 21 after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Enditem