North Korea's neighbor and close ally, China, has called for an emergency meeting of envoys to North Korean disarmament talks to defuse tensions on the tense Korean Peninsular.
After what it described as careful studies of the volatile situation on its doorstep, China proposed Sunday an emergency meeting of members to the stalled Six Party Talks.
China's special representative for the Korean Peninsula affairs, Wu Dawei, says the talks should take place early next month.
He says they would bring together representatives from North and South Korea, host China, the United States, Japan and Russia.
Wu says the emergency meeting would allow an exchange of views on what he describes as major issues of concern.
He says China has made unremitting efforts to stage the urgent dialogue - adding it was necessary for all parties concerned to contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Wu stressed Beijing was not calling for a resumption of the on-again-off-again Six Party Talks , which seek denuclearization on the Korean Peninsular.
It was not immediately clear if any of the other party members have agreed to attend.
The Yonhap News Agency in Seoul Sunday quoted a South Korean Presidential Office spokesman as saying it was not the time to discuss the resumption talks.
China has been under immense international pressure to help ease the volatile confrontation after last Tuesday deadly military exchange between North and South Korea.
Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo flew to Seoul Saturday and held two hours of talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Beijing's call for discussions comes as the United States and South Korea conduct military drills in the Yellow Sea.