Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Thursday that nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula should be solved through dialogue and consultation.

At a daily press briefing, Hong confirmed that Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula Affairs, on Wednesday met with Shinsuke Sugiyama, Japan's chief negotiator of the stalled six-party nuclear talks, at the request of the Japanese side.

China stressed that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and further promoting the denuclearization of the peninsula is in line with the interests of all sides, Hong said.

Shinsuke Sugiyama, also head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, arrived in Beijing Tuesday to attend an internal meeting of the Japanese side, according to Hong.

He said that China and Japan are maintaining close communication on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2013)