"China's position remains unchanged...the problems should be solved through talks and consultations," the spokesman said.

North Korea pulled out of talks with Russia, Japan, China, the United States and South Korea over its nuclear program last April after the United Nations condemned the communist state's missile tests. North Korea recently revealed the existence of a new uranium enrichment plant in a move the U.S. called "provocative."

Earlier on Tuesday North Korea opened artillery fire at a South Korean island, killing one soldier and injuring 14 and provoking a retaliatory attack by the South.

The attack is the second incident in the tense Yellow Sea border area this year. In March, a North Korean submarine was alleged to have torpedoed a South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan, causing the loss of 46 lives. An international investigation said the North was to blame, but the reclusive regime denied involvement.

North and South Korea remain technically at war, since no peace treaty was signed following the Korean War in 1953. The Demilitarized Zone between the countries is the most heavily armed border in the world.