Keep talking, Hu urges

President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama held talks Monday on a range of issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, on the sidelines of the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.

Hu said China is concerned by the recent development of conditions on the peninsula.

"China hopes the US and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will maintain contacts and dialogue and honor the consensus reached between them so as to improve their relations," Hu told Obama.

A senior White House aide told Reuters that Hu indicated to Obama during the talks that he took the North Korean nuclear standoff very seriously and was registering his concern with Pyongyang.

During talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Hu stressed that recently, there have been some new developments in the situation on the peninsula, which have drawn the attention of the international community.

"China has been communicating closely with all related parties including South Korea," President Hu said.

"At present, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is very complicated and sensitive. We do not hope to see a reversal of the hard-won momentum of relaxation of tension on the peninsula," Hu added.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Monday that together with representatives from more than 50 nations and organizations attending the summit, Tokyo will try to put pressure on North Korea over its planned satellite launch next month.

Japanese Defense Minister Naoki Tanaka said Monday that he will issue an order to prepare to intercept the rocket if it passes into Japanese territory.

The South Korean defense ministry also said Monday that it may shoot down the rocket if it enters South Korean airspace.

While the world media focused their attention on North Korea's rocket program, the Seoul communiqué to be adopted today is expected to reaffirm the international commitments to minimizing the use of highly-enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium and expand discussions on nuclear safety.