BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Friday that China hoped Japan and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) would resolve the abduction issue through negotiation.

    Wen's comments came at a press conference following the conclusion of the annual session of the National People's Congress(NPC), China's top legislature.

    Stressing China sympathized with the abducted Japanese nationals, Wen said he hoped Japan and the DPRK would smoothly resolve the issue through communication and negotiation.

    The DPRK and Japan held talks on normalizing their diplomatic relations in Hanoi last Thursday. But nothing came out of the talks due to their disagreement on the abduction issue.