BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The parties concerned will discuss substantial issues in the upcoming fresh round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue here Thursday.

    Zhang said the parties concerned expect to fix the consensus reached so far in written form, which depends on the progress of the talks.

    The second round of six-party talks is a key step toward resolving the nuclear issue through dialogue, said Zhang, adding that the parties concerned should continue to show sincerity and participate in the talks on the basis of mutual respect and consultations on an equal footing.

    China believes that the six-party talks mechanism will be conducive to maintaining the peace and stability of the peninsula and realizing a nuclear-free peninsula, said Zhang. China has madea lot of efforts to start the second round of talks, the spokeswoman added.

    The international community, including the United Nations, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hasalso played an active role in reopening the new talks, said Zhang.

    Regarding the issue of abduction of Japanese citizens to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Zhang said that the issue, which involves the DPRK and Japan, should be handled properly through bilateral channels.

    The fresh round of the talks is scheduled to begin Feb. 25 in Beijing. The first round of the six-party talks lasted three days from Aug. 27 to 29, 2003. Enditem