BEIJING, Oct 4: China on Wednesday appealed to North Korea for calm and restraint but avoided criticism after its ally’s announcement of plans for a nuclear test threw up a new diplomatic challenge for Beijing.

“We hope the North Korean side will be sure to keep calm and restrained on the nuclear test issue,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao in a statement on the ministry website.

Despite its mild tone, the statement was unusually pointed in singling out the North by name, in contrast to earlier Chinese responses to North Korean provocation, which have been general appeals to all sides in the dispute to show restraint.

Liu called for a resumption of stalled Chinese-organised six-nation talks aimed at ending the North’s nuclear ambitions. He asked all sides to avoid “actions that intensify tensions.”—AP