China disagrees to the withdrawal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Chinese President Jiang Zemin said Friday evening.

Jiang made the remarks while exchanging views with US President George W. Bush on the DPRK nuclear issue in a telephone conversation initiated by Bush, official sources told Xinhua.

While stressing the US side objected the action of the DPRK, Bush said during the phone conversation that the United States was still willing to solve the DPRK nuclear issue through talks.

The action the DPRK had taken was not in its own interest, and would damage regional peace and security, Bush said.

Jiang said China advocated the realization of non-nuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and disagreed to the DPRK's withdrawal from the NPT.

China held that maintaining an international mechanism of nuclear nonproliferation conformed to the common interests of the international community, Jiang said, describing dialogues as the most effective way to tackle the issue.

Jiang said China would make joint efforts with various sides to work for an early and peaceful settlement of the issue.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2003)