North Korea "wouldn't hesitate" to follow through on threats to carry out its fourth nuclear test unless long-stalled talks on the North's nuclear program resume, a Chinese scholar warned Wednesday. 

The comments by Li Kaisheng, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, were published by the Global Times newspaper run by China's ruling Communist Party as a top U.S.

diplomat handling North Korea was scheduled to arrive in Beijing later in the day for talks with his Chinese counterparts. 

Beijing is the final leg of a three-nation tour that included Seoul and Tokyo for Sung Kim, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy. 

In Seoul last week, Kim reaffirmed the U.S. stance that Washington won't resume talks with North Korea unless Pyongyang shows its seriousness about denuclearization. North Korea, which has conducted three nuclear tests, has shown no signs of giving up its nuclear ambitions. 

"The U.S. should have been clearly aware of North Korea's diplomatic style and that it wouldn't hesitate to adopt the harsh means of nuclear tests if its request for talks is not accepted," Li said in an op-ed for the Chinese state-run paper.

"If Pyongyang carries out the fourth nuclear test, what will it bring to the peace of Northeast Asia? While the distant U.S. has no need to directly worry, what will it mean to countries in the region?" Li wrote. 

Echoing views by many Chinese experts on North Korea, Li urged both Pyongyang and Washington to sit down at the negotiating table. 

"At present, both the US and North Korea need to take a step back," Li said. "Washington should lower the bar while Pyongyang should make concrete actions to demonstrate its sincerity and credibility on denuclearization." 

North Korea has a track record of starting a crisis, coming to negotiations and reaching an agreement in exchange for economic and other concessions, then ditching the deal. 

Mindful of the North's behavior, South Korea and the U.S. call for Pyongyang to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization through actions before the six-party talks can resume. Diplomatic efforts by China, a long-time ally of North Korea, have still been seen as more accommodating toward Pyongyang. 

The six-party talks grouping South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia have been at a standstill since late 2008. (Yonhap)