Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo said on November 28 that China and the United States should help to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula and facilitate dialogues.

In a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about the recent developments on the Korean Peninsula , Dai said that China is deeply concerned with the dynamics in the area and that the immediate priority is to calm the current situation and reject any move that might escalate the tensions, according to China ’s Xinhua News Agency.

China and the United States should play a constructive role and make a concerted effort to mitigate the situation as soon as possible and safeguard peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula , said Dai.

The starting point of all Chinese efforts is to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, he said, adding that all the relevant parties should make a joint effort to secure an early resumption of the negotiations and seek a solution via talks.

Clinton said that Washington and Beijing share a common interest in maintaining the Korean Peninsula 's stability and that cooperation is of pivotal significance. Both parties agreed to maintain close contact on the issue, she added.

Later the same day, a spokesperson for the US Department of State said that the United States will consult with the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan about China’s proposal to immediately resume the six-party talks on the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen, said in an interview with CNN that the United States is focusing on containing the situation in the Korean Peninsula , as the US and the RoK launched joint naval exercises in waters west of the divided peninsula earlier in the day.

Mullen said the RoK and the United States are focusing on restraint and not letting the situation get out of control. "The South Koreans, so far, have responded that way," he told CNN. "Nobody wants this thing to turn into a conflict."

On November 29, RoK President Lee Myung-bak said that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will pay a corresponding price for any further provocations.

In a nationally televised speech, Lee also called for national unification and drastic reforms to bolster national defense.

An exchange of artillery fire between the DPRK and the RoK last week killed four people, arousing the concerns of the international community./.