"The new phase of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuke issue will officially start on Thursday afternoon, " Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told the regular briefing.

    The last phase of talks recessed in December last year after five days of negotiations which produced no breakthrough.

    Launched in 2003, the talks involve China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia.

    "The upcoming talks will explore initial steps needed to implement the joint statement," Jiang said.

    Under the joint statement reached in September 2005, the DPRK agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees.

    "Apart from plenary sessions, negotiators will hold group meetings and one-on-one talks," Jiang said.

    As host, China is counting on all parties to make concerted efforts to produce positive results, the spokesperson said.