China opposes any tension-escalating steps by N. Korea

China's top diplomat said Monday that his country does not support North Korea's nuclear weapons programs or its recent rocket launch, hoping that tension on the Korean Peninsula would be resolved as soon as possible by resuming six-party denulcearization talks.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made the remarks when he met in Beijing with a four-member delegation sent by South Korea President-elect Park Geun-hye, according to the delegation.

The South Korean team, led by former Rep. Kim Moo-sung, arrived in the Chinese capital earlier in the day for a four-day trip.

During the meeting, the delegation made clear that South Korea will not tolerate the North's nuclear ambitions, but that they believe it is very important to build trust through dialogue with the communist nation.

According to Shim Yoon-joe, a member of the delegation, Yang praised Park's so-called "Korean Peninsula trust process," which states that if the North accepts denuclearization, large-scale international economic projects will be pursued in the communist country to help restore inter-Korean relations.

"We said the incoming government is going to continue humanitarian aid, and leave doors open for inter-Korean dialogue," Shim said.

(Yonhap News)