Qin made the remarks as South Korea's new top nuclear envoy Chun Yung-Woo arrived in Beijing for a three-day visit.

Chun, appointed last month, will meet his Chinese counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, on Friday during an "acquaintance visit," Qin said.

Qin declined to comment on a Japanese media report which said North Korea carried out the missile tests Wednesday morning.

Pyongyang diplomat Ri Gun was quoted as saying that North Korea will not return to nuclear disarmament talks "in the midst of the continued pressure."

As host nation, China has taken a leading role in trying to maintain the momentum of the talks, which include North and South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia.

Pyongyang agreed in September last year to dismantle its nuclear programs in return for diplomatic, security and economic aid guarantees.

But North Korea said immediately after the last round of talks in November that it would not return to negotiations unless the United States lifted financial sanctions against it.

The latest nuclear standoff erupted in 2002 when the United States accused North Korea of running a secret uranium-enrichment program.

North Korea responded by throwing out UN International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and abandoning the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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