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 in phases, the spokesman added.

    "We hope the participants in the new round of negotiations 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, include 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," Kongsaid.

    The fourth-round of six-party talks ended on Sept. 19 with the adoption 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.

    The nuclear weapons abandonment and security guarantee, economic aid, as well as nuclear weapons inspection are three focal points of the new round, according to some Chinese experts.

    "All parties have accomplished a 'word-to-word' goal, and the new round will enter the stage of 'action-to-action', there will be the more substantial and audacious discussion," said Shen Jiru,expert from Chinese Academy of Social Science.

    As the DPRK has agreed to abandon all its nuclear weapons and plans, the inspection of nuclear facilities will be on the agenda of the new round. The inspection is complicated and sensitive, thus it's still hard to estimate how much the DPRK will accept thein spection.

    "No matter whether the inspection will be carried out by the U.S. or the International Atomic Energy Agency, the process will be complicated and long-lasting, and this issue would be a confrontation between the U.S. and DPRK," said Ruan Zongze, Ruan Zongze, deputy director of the China Institute of International Studies.

    China has all along contributed to the peaceful settlement of the Korean nuclear issue. It has advocated holding the the six-party talks, which has been proved to be an effective way to solve the complicated issue.

    Chinese President Hu Jintao Wednesday concluded an official and goodwill visit to the DPRK. DPRK leader Kim Jong Il 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 of six-party talks, and the negotiation was on the agenda oftheir visits.

    Multilateral and bilateral contacts have been frequent since the end of the fourth round. Although the fifth round will be difficult, all parties still hope it will achieve progress and aretrying to create a good atmosphere for the upcoming talks. Enditem