North Korea is among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. The two countries forged diplomatic relations on October 6, 1949, five days after the People's Republic was founded.

During his meeting with Kim Jong Il, Wen said it is in the interests of all parties concerned, including North Korea, to continue to pursue the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and maintain peace and stability on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

To realize denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and consultation is a common understanding of the international community and the only way to solve the peninsula's nuclear issue, Wen said. The six-party talks are an effective mechanism to realize the abovementioned objectives, to which all the parties concerned should stay committed, he said.

Kim said North Korea's commitment to realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged. Through bilateral meetings between North Korea and the United States, the hostile relations between the two countries must turn into peaceful ones, he added.

North Korea is willing to attend multilateral talks, including the six-party talks, depending on the progress in the North Korea-U.S. talks, he said, according to a news release from China's Foreign Ministry.

North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan started the six-party talks in 2003 to address the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program, with China chairing the talks.

Under an agreement reached in the talks, North Korea blew up the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear complex in June 2008, marking a symbolic step forward toward denuclearization.

In April 2009, Pyongyang announced its withdrawal from the talks following the UN Security Council's unanimous decision to condemn its alleged satellite launch. The last round of talks was held in Beijing in December 2008.

The important consensus reached between Wen and Kim Jong Il on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is of great significance to resuming the six-party talks, said Wu Dawei, Vice Foreign Minister of China and head of the Chinese delegation to the six-party talks, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency on October 7.

"It suggested the talks faced important opportunities of getting out of their current difficulties," he said.

There are multiple forms of dialogue within the framework of the six-party talks, Wu said. The dialogue between North Korea and the United States could pave the way for the resumption of the six-party talks and is therefore an "important step" within the framework of the six-party talks, he said.

China supports bilateral talks between parties of the six-party talks and hopes the North Korea-U.S. dialogue achieves substantial progress, he added.