Beijing, Sept 30 (ZEENEWS.COM) China on Friday said it would continue its insistence on an Asian as the next UN Secretary-General but offered no clue on backing any particular candidate.

"It is a common desire of Asian nations and has been widely supported by the international community that next UN Secretary-General should come from Asia," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

"China will continue to support an Asian candidate," he said without backing any one candidate from Asia. Qin said China held a positive and open attitude to all the Asian candidates.

"We think there is no doubt that a new UN Secretary-General with ability and prestige, who can be accepted by all sides, can come from these Asian candidates," when asked to comment on reports that China`s insistence on an Asian meant more meritorious candidates from other continents were excluded.

"It is not fair to doubt the ability of the Asian candidates and we cannot accept this," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan`s second five-year term will end on December 31. The UN charter allows the Security Council to nominate a candidate who is then be approved by the UN general assembly.

The Security Council has hold three informal polls, all of which put South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moo in top place followed by Shashi Tharoor, the Indian UN undersecretary-general.

While six candidates are from Asia, Latvian President Vike-Freiberga is the only outsider among the contestants.