China and the United States will work with parties concerned to promote the process of the six-party talks, in an effort to achieve a peaceful solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue at an early date, said Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing Sunday.

Hu told the press following his talks with visiting US President George W. Bush that both sides agreed that the fourth round of the six-party talks made important staged achievements, and the first phase of the fifth round of the six-party talks was held in a serious and pragmatic atmosphere.

Both China and the United States hold that the two sides enjoy extensive common interests and shoulder important common responsibilities in such areas as the UN reforms, the development issue, advancing the Doha Round multilateral trade talks, solving regional hot issues, the war on terrorism, non-proliferation on weapons of mass destruction, fighting against natural disasters and combating epidemic diseases, Hu said, noting that both sides agree to enhance cooperation in international and Asia-Pacific affairs.

As to the issue of bird flu, Hu said China and the United States will work together on the global or regional prevention and treatment of bird flu.

Both sides agreed that the spread of bird flu and the disease's transmission to humankind is a common threat to all countries, and both sides have reached consensus on the joint proposal of strengthening bilateral cooperation in prevention and treatment of this epidemic disease, the president said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 20, 2005)