China said Sunday there is great hope to restart the stalled six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as long as relevant sides keep in contact, maintain patience and stick to the denuclearization objective.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, or the parliament.

"Over the past year, the six-party talks indeed encountered twists and turns. It is gratifying, however, to see that none of the parties involved has given up the objective of achieving a denuclearized Korean Peninsula," Yang told reporters.

"Moreover, they have never abandoned the effective, multilateral mechanism of the six-party talks. And they are all contributing to the restoration of the talks," Yang said.

"We believe as long as all parties stick to the denuclearization objective, and as long as they keep in contact, maintain patience and move toward the same orientation, there is great hope in restarting the six-party talks and realizing the objectives established in the Joint Statement issued on September 19, 2005," Yang said.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea promised in the statement to abandon all nuclear weapons and return to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at an early date.

The six-party talks, which was launched in 2003 and involves China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, has been stalled since December 2008.

Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, told Xinhua Friday China looks to restart the talks in the first half of 2010, saying the six-party talks mechanism still has vitality.

However, the Korean People's Army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), released a statement Sunday, saying the process of denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula has to intermit because of the U.S.-ROK joint military exercise, according to the DPRK's official news agency KCNA.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2010)