China's North Korea envoy to visit key partners

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's envoy to talks aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear program will leave for South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States on Thursday, as Beijing pushes to get dialogue with Pyongyang back on track.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters that Wu Dawei's "goal is to engage in a thorough exchange of views on the North Korean nuclear issue and developments in Northeast Asia and on the Korean peninsula."

But Wu will not be visiting North Korea, which said earlier this year it was pulling out of the talks process.

Asked if Wu would be discussing enforcement of a recent United Nations resolution on sanctions against North Korea, Qin would only say that "China has consistently advocated dialogue and consultation" as the solution to the nuclear dispute.

China, the closest North Korea has to a major ally, backed the U.N. resolution condemning the North's May 25 nuclear test and imposing new sanctions, but has long been reluctant to press for more.

Qin added that Chinese officials would be meeting on Thursday with Philip Goldberg, the U.S. coordinator for the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, which passed June 12 and bans the export of all weapons by North Korea.

Washington says the sanction will cut off a significant source of funds for Pyongyang. It also bans all financial transactions with North Korea that could contribute to its nuclear or ballistic missile programs.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Alex Richardson)