(LI XIAOGUO)

The Chinese Government has appointed Wu Dawei as Special Representative of the Chinese Government on the Korean Peninsular Affairs to be in charge of the six-party talks and related issues, said a notice posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website.

Wu, 64, was China's vice foreign minister between August 2004 and January 2010, when he also served as chief negotiator in the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Before he took up the vice ministerial post, Wu was China's ambassador to the Republic of Korea in April 1998-November 2001 and ambassador to Japan in July 2001-August 2004.

The six-party talks started in Beijing in August 2003 with the participation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan. Wu is the second Chinese chief negotiator, following Wang Yi. He has presided over the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds of the talks.