BEIJING - CHINA'S Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday a recent visit to North Korea by the country's top diplomat marks a significant effort by Beijing to tamp down regional tensions, in an apparent attempt to show it is responding to international calls to rein in its long-standing ally.
During Dai Bingguo's two-day trip last week, both sides reaffirmed the need to avoid further escalations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu said.
Tensions spiked in the region following a North Korean artillery attack on a South Korean island last month that killed four people.
'The two sides believe that parties should keep calm and exercise restraint, take a responsible attitude to avoid further escalation of tensions, and play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula,' Ms Jiang told reporters at a regularly scheduled news conference.
Ms Jiang also repeated calls for emergency consultations between North Korea and the five countries taking part in long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks.
China has come under growing pressure from the US and others to leverage its influence as North Korea's most important ally to mitigate Pyongyang's behaviour. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg was set to visit China starting on Wednesday for further talks on the issue. -- AP
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