BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China has expressed its concern about the Iranian nuclear standoff and hopes all parties show restraint and use diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue, a foreign ministry spokesman said here on Tuesday.

    Qin Gan g said that Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai, in a recent visit to Iran, told the Iranian side that China is concerned about the current situation and hopes all parties will show flexibility in trying to resolve the issue.

    After his arrival in Tehran on Saturday, Cui met and conferred with several senior Iranian officials on the nuclear crisis. Enditem