China is looking forward to better relations between Washington and Pyongyang, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said yesterday in Beijing.

According to Liu, Pyongyang's presence at an academic conference in New York this week is another sign of a thaw between the two sides, improving prospects for the restarting of nuclear talks.

Liu said that both the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have signalled their interest in restarting the Six-Party Talks, a move China supports.

"We would like to see the two sides continue to move forward to create more favourable conditions and atmosphere for the talks," he said.

According to Liu, officials from the Chinese Embassy in the United States will also be joining the conference.

On a less positive note, Liu complained about US interference in China's relations with Israel after reports that the Israeli Government had called off an arms deal with China after pressure from the Americans.

He said co-operation between China and other countries not only brought direct benefits to the sides involved, but also helped maintain regional stability.

Liu called for the United States not to interfere or make irresponsible remarks regarding China's international affairs and told the superpower to give up its Cold War mentality and to stop creating obstacles between China and other countries.

Liu added that he hoped the "relevant party" could continue independent co-operation with China.

Meanwhile reports said a senior US lawmaker introduced legislation on Wednesday to discourage the European Union from lifting its arms embargo on China.

Fishing issues

The spokesman also expressed China's strong opposition to talks between Japan and Taiwan on fishing issues.

The Chinese Government is responsible for the protection of the legal rights of fishermen from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, he said.

Liu said there is already a fishing agreement between China and Japan, and Taiwan is part of China, so China and Japan should act in accordance with this agreement.

If there were talks between Japan and Taiwan, Liu said, "It would violate the one-China principle and would not be in accordance with the rules of Sino-Japanese fishing industry agreements."

Liu also expressed unhappiness with Japan, for forcing Chinese fishermen to leave the Diaoyu Islands, a territory belonging to China.

He urged the Japanese Government to pay attention to the concern raised by the Chinese side and deal with the issue in a proper way.

It is reported that Japan and Taiwan plan to hold talks on their maritime disputes on July 29.

Yesterday Liu also appealed to Tokyo to put aside disputes and work on the joint development of oil and gas resources in disputed waters in the East China Sea.

The statement was in response to a report that Japan may be about to approve drilling by a Japanese company in the area.

Liu said neither side should take unilateral action until the dispute over the boundary is resolved.

He noted that putting aside disputes and pursuing joint development would not only help maintain stability in the East China Sea but would also mutually benefit both sides.

Editor: Yan