Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Pyongyang not to go further in a dangerous direction, and said there should be no new nuclear state in either of the Koreas or elsewhere.

"There is still hope for peace, we must not give up," Wang said during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. The remarks came as rhetoric and even personal name-calling has flared up in recent days between Washington and Pyongyang.

"We urge the DPRK not to go further on along a dangerous direction," Wang said. "We call upon the US to honor its 'Four Nos' commitment, and we call upon all parties to play a constructive role in easing tensions," Wang said.

The "Four Nos" refer to Washington's promise not to seek a regime change in Pyongyang, not to seek the collapse of the DPRK government, not to seek acceleration of reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and not to send its military north of the 38th parallel, which acts as the boundary between Pyongyang and Seoul.

Twelve years have passed since a joint statement was issued from the Six-Party Talks, signed on Sept 19, 2005, Wang said, but things that follow the progressive trend of the times never become outdated and decisions on the right side of history never become obsolete.

The minister said that if there is any change needed, it is the denuclearization of the peninsula, and that would be more comprehensive, thorough and irreversible.

According to Wang, China is always a force for peace and has made unremitting efforts toward the peaceful settlement of the peninsula nuclear issue.

"Whatever changes may take place, no matter how long it will take, and whatever difficulties we may face, China will stay firmly committed to denuclearizing the peninsula and moving toward talks," he said.

"There should be no new nuclear weapons state, whether it is in the north or south of the peninsula, whether it is in Northeast Asia or other parts of the world," Wang added.

Wang also met with his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono, on Thursday in New York.

Wang said sanctions and peace talks are both part of the Security Council resolutions. If Japan only discusses sanctions in the absence of dialogue, and even resists dialogue, it will be considered as violating the resolutions.

"We hope Japan will behave with caution and play a constructive role on the peninsula nuclear issue, rather than the opposite," he said.

Kono said Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs have posed a practical threat to regional peace as well as Japan's security. He said Japan is willing to push forward denuclearization on the peninsula with China and other parties.

Hong Xiao contributed to this story.