China hopes to see a new round of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (G5+1) begin at an early date, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Thursday.
Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Baqeri expressed the country's readiness to initiate nuclear talks with the world's major powers, according to media reports.
"We have noticed the relevant reports," Hong said at a regular news briefing.
China has always supported the resolution of Iran's nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation, Hong said in response to a question on China's attitude on Baqeri's remarks.
"We hope to see the new round of talks begin at an early date," he said, adding that China hopes all sides could increase mutual trust by adopting feasible measures.
China will continue to maintain communication on the issue with the relevant parties, Hong added.
In January, six world powers wrapped up crucial nuclear talks with Iran in Istanbul, but failed to reach any agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.
Some experts suspect that Iran's uranium enrichment program may be intended for producing nuclear weapons in the future, a claim that has been denied by Iran.