UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon said here Thursday that China, the second largest economy in the globe and one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, can play a "crucially important role" in promoting peace and development in the world at large.

The secretary-general made the statement in an interview with Xinhua after he started his second five-year term on Jan. 1.

"As the second largest economy in the world, China can play a very important role," he said.

"I really count on the Chinese leadership as one of five permanent member states of the Security Council," he told Xinhua. "Your role is crucially important in maintaining peace and security, developmental issues.. and also protecting human rights. "

China, together with other countries in the region, can also play a "crucially important role" in maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula at a time when the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is in a leadership transition, he said.

Kim Jong Un became the DPRK leader after Kim Jong Il, the top leader of the Northeast Asian country, passed away on Dec. 17, 2011 from "a great mental and physical strain."

"Since the death of late leader Kim Jong Il, I understand that the DPRK is now in the process" of a political transition, Ban said. "One very important thing is that we need to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula."

"I am very closely following the situation" on the Korean Peninsula, he said. "I believe that the Chinese role is crucially important together with (the) Republic of Korea."

"As a direct concerned party, first and foremost, both Koreas, they should take leadership and initiative in promoting further dialogue and exchanges so that there'll be peace and stability and harmony between the two parts," he said. "Then there are clearly some important roles to be played by China and other countries, ( the) U.S., and also Russia and Japan as member of the six-party talks."

The six-party nuclear talks, which involve the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, were launched in 2003, but became bogged down in December 2008 after six rounds of discussion. The DPRK left the talks in 2009.

"Members of the six-party talks should strive to make (the) Korean Peninsula denuclearized as soon as possible," he said. "As secretary-general of (the) UN, I will spare no efforts to facilitate such process."

Recently, China has been making diplomatic efforts to revive the six-party talks, and Beijing has had communication and contact with all relevant parties, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin said about two weeks ago.

During the interview, the secretary-general said that he is planning to visit China soon this year.

"I am going to initiate the consultation with the Chinese government," he said. "I would like to meet with the Chinese leadership as often as possible."

"I am very much grateful to many millions and millions of Chinese people for always supporting me, very warmly and strongly, " he said. "That gives me strength and wisdom and encouragement to discharge my duty as secretary-general."