Pyongyang pulled out of the talks, which involve the two Koreas, China, Russia, the United States and Japan, in April 2009 in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests. The reclusive communist regime conducted its second nuclear test a month later.

"We believe that in the current situation the sides must continue the dialogue through consultations to ease tensions and create conditions for the resumption of [six-nation] talks," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The statement follows meetings in Beijing on Tuesday between Kim Kye-Gwan, North Korea's envoy to six-party talks, and China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and nuclear envoy Wu Dawei.

"Our position on the Korean peninsula is clear and consistent - we stand for maintaining the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula," the ministry's spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told reporters.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly expressed hope for an early resumption of the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear program during his visit to China in August.