China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have held "in-depth" discussions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, October 19. [Full coverage on N.Korea nuclear crisis]

A special envoy of President Hu Jintao, State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan, met DPRK leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang yesterday morning, spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular news briefing.

China's State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan (3rd L, front row), special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, poses with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (4th R, front row) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this video grab released on October 19, 2006. The United States said on Thursday it was open to negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear ambitions as attention focused on whether China had managed to persuade the North to defuse the mounting crisis. [Reuters]

"The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on China-DPRK relations and the current situation on the Korean Peninsula," Liu said.

The meeting was of "great significance" as it was held in the backdrop of the peninsula undergoing major changes, he said, referring to the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK on October 9.

The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution last weekend imposing sanctions against the DPRK, which include a call to inspect cargo on ships sailing to and from the DPRK.

"Tang's visit to the DPRK is extremely important for bilateral ties and the current situation on the peninsula," Liu said.

Responding to reports that claimed the Six-Party Talks could end following the nuclear test, Liu said China is still "full of hope" that the talks could resume.

Tang delivered a message from President Hu to Kim on the nuclear issue, according to the spokesman, who did not reveal the content.

Tang arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, accompanied by Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is also China's top negotiator at the stalled Six-Party Talks, and Dai Bingguo, director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Prior to meeting Kim, Tang, as the president's special envoy, met US President George W. Bush in Washington and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week.

There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity in response to the DPRK's nuclear test.

In Seoul, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, who warned earlier yesterday that a second DPRK nuclear test would trigger a "much more serious" global response.

Ban, slated to be the next UN secretary-general, also said Pyongyang should not make further moves that would "aggravate the situation."

The ROK's Yonhap news agency reported that Seoul would bolster inspections of cargo heading to the DPRK and halt subsidies to a joint tourism project in the DPRK.

Rice and Ban called on the DPRK to return unconditionally to the Six-Party Talks, which also include China, Japan and Russia. However, Rice said real progress would have to be made if the talks were to resume.

"The US has no desire to do anything to escalate the situation," Rice said. "We want to leave open the path of negotiation, we don't want the crisis to escalate." She is expected to arrive in Beijing today.