China has long supported and welcomed contact between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) within the framework of the six-party talks, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

Spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press briefing it is conducive to the improvement of mutual trust and bilateral ties for the parties concerned within the framework of the six-party talks to maintain multilateral and bilateral contacts.

"It is also helpful in advancing the process of the six-party talks, achieving the early realization of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the maintenance of peace and stability in Northeast Asia," he added.

In response to a question whether the Dalai Lama's meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama will affect and alter China's stance on six-party talks, Qin said it is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of all parties concerned to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsular and safeguard the peace and stability of Northeast Asia.

"China will, as always, make unremitting efforts and work with the other parties to achieve this goal," he said.

U.S. special representative Stephen Bosworth will embark Tuesday on a tour of China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan to discuss the nuclear stalemate in the Korean Peninsula.

During his stay in Beijing, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, Wu Dawei, will hold talks with him, and the two sides will exchange views on the six-party talks and other issues of common concern, according to Qin.

The six-party talks, launched in 2003 but stalled last April, involve the DPRK, the Republic of Korea (ROK), China, Japan, Russia and the United States.