China on Tuesday said it believed that issues concerning the sinking of a warship of the Republic of Korea (ROK) last month would be properly dealt with.

"The ROK side said it would conduct scientific and objective investigation into the incident, and we believe relevant issues would be properly dealt with," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu at a regular press conference.

The 1,200-ton "Cheonan" with 104 crew members onboard sank late last month near the maritime border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after an unexplained explosion. Only 58 sailors were rescued alive shortly after the sinking.

"The sinking of the 'Cheonan' warship is a sad incident, and we have expressed sympathy and condolences to the ROK side and families of the victims," Jiang said.