Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that a peaceful solution to the Korean nuclear issue is still hopeful given that all sides make joint efforts and push forward the six-party talks on that question.

Wen made the remarks in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

Wen told Geert Linnebank of Reuters that China holds an unswerving stance that the Korean Peninsula should be nuclear-free and the Korean nuclear issue should be solved through dialogue and consultation to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula.

China has kept promoting the six-party talks to serve the target, Wen said.

China illustrated its stance to the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) respectively during US Vice President Dick Cheney and DPRK leader Kim Jong II's visits to China earlier this month, the premier noted.

The US and the DPRK sides both expressed their willingness to participate in the six-party talks continuously in a bid to solve the Korean nuclear issue in a peaceful way and they agreed to reach the final goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, he said.

The US and the DPRK sides also expressed their hopes to settle their own concerns, agreeing to take coordinated steps, Wen acknowledged.

The six-party talks have had a good start, especially in defining the goals and mechanism of such talks, he said.

The Chinese premier said he cannot confirm the claim by some Pakistani scientist that the DPRK has had nuclear weapons.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2004)