On August 11, 2003, Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Alexander Losiukov held consultations in Beijing. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the current situation in the Korean Peninsula, especially the upcoming six-party Beijing talks, and reached wide consensus. They agreed that the six-party talks in Beijing will be another important step forward in the process to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) through dialogue. Both sides hoped the six parties would strengthen dialogue and mutual understanding, so as to reduce differences and make concerted efforts to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.