China urges N Korea to act prudently with satellite launch

China on Tuesday urged North Korea to act prudently in regard to the country's proposed satellite launch, state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported. "As a sovereign state, the DPRK is entitled to the peaceful use of outer space. But in view of the situation on the Korea Peninsula and restrictions of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, China hopes the DPRK can proceed from the overall situation of peace and stability on the peninsula and act prudently," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news briefing in Beijing. DPRK is the acronym for the North's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Meanwhile, China has maintained contact with other parties to the six-party talks, which also includes South Korea, the US, Russia and Japan, said Hong. "We hope the parties concerned can take a long-term perspective, deal with this calmly, and avoid taking actions that may further escalate the situation, " the spokesman said. China is North Korea's closest ally. Pyongyang said Saturday that it is planning to launch another satellite between December 10 and 22 after a failed attempt in April.