China urges continued momentum for nuke talks after missile firings

China hopes the current momentum for the six-party process for denuclearizing North Korea will not be lost, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday after North Korea reportedly launched short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan.

At a regular press conference, Qin Gang did not confirm the missile firings by North Korea on Wednesday, only saying that China ''takes note of relevant reports'' on them.

''We believe that there have been some positive developments over the six-party talks recently, and hope this momentum will be maintained,'' Qin said, when asked about comments from the United States and Japan that the launches violate a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted last year.

''We hope that the six-party talks will continue to move forward through joint efforts by relevant parties,'' he said, referring to the talks that involve North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

North Korea said Monday it was ready to implement its denuclearization obligations under a Feb. 13 six-way deal, now that a dispute over North Korea-linked funds that were frozen at a Macao bank has been resolved.

While Qin's comments could be interpreted both as urging North Korea to refrain from missile launches as well as calling on others not to make remarks that may harm the six-way process, he did not elaborate.

U.S. media quoted U.S. Defense Department officials as saying that North Korea test-fired three short-range missiles Wednesday.

The U.N. Security Council resolution, adopted after North Korea carried out its first nuclear test last year, demands Pyongyang refrain from any further nuclear tests or ballistic missile launches.