"The two parties who play the most important role in this issue lack mutual trust between themselves," Li said in a wide-ranging news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing National People's Congress.

Li said Russia "should also play a constructive role in this process" before praising last week's just concluded second round of six-nation talks for reaching agreement to reconvene fresh talks before June.

To further discuss the issue, South Korean Foreign Minister Yoon Young-Kwan would visit Beijing next week, while a summit between President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was planned for later this year.

North Korea has been seeking a security guarantee from the United States as well as badly needed multilateral energy and food aid, in exchange for giving up its nuclear ambitions.

"China has consistently supported a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula," Li said, "the role China plays is to maintain peace talks and promote peace."

Li touched on nearly all aspects of Chinese foreign policy during the two-hour press conference, including Beijing's concern with Taiwan independence and a simmering political debate over greater democracy in Hong Kong.

"The Chinese government and people will with the utmost sincerity make its best efforts to strive for peaceful reunification, however, we will not allow anyone under any pretext to split Taiwan from China," Li said.

"The Taiwan issue is a question of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, to maintain the unity of the country is the highest form of significance for the entire country."

Li did not mention the March 20 president elections in Taiwan apparently in keeping with a decision by Beijing that harsh rhetoric and saber-rattling ahead of the polls will only drive the Taiwan electorate away from candidates that support eventual reunification.

In the run up to 1996 and 2000 Taiwan elections, China launched ballistic missile tests and held military exercises in a failed attempt to sway Taiwan voters away from pro-independence candidates like President Chen Shui-bian.

While praising recent US statements of support for the "one China policy" on Taiwan, Li made a veiled warning to Washington to stay out of a debate over greater democracy in Hong Kong and urged Hong Kong democracy advocates to refrain from internationalizing the issue.

"Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong. The Chinese people have resource, capability and wisdom to maintain the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong," Li said.

"We do not welcome nor do we need any external intervention. It is futile for a handful of people to beg foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong's internal affairs."

Li's statement came as Hong Kong's leading democrat Martin Lee on Friday met US Secretary of State Colin Powell, a meeting that Beijing has opposed.

While praising improving relations between China and Japan, Li could not resist bringing up Japan's war past and reiterated Beijing's opposition to official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo by Japanese leaders.

"The most prominent issue in the bilateral relations, is that Japanese leaders insist on visiting the shrine that houses 14 Class-A World War II criminals," Li said.

"Japanese leaders should take history as a mirror and draw on lessons from history, make up their minds to live in peace with other countries and treat others as equals."

WAR.WIRE