Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said on Tuesday, Jan. 12, that concerned parties should work closely to bring the Korean nuclear issues to the negotiating table.
According to the Global Times, Hong said that it is critical that discussions and consultations are continued to promote denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and to safeguard peace and tranquility in Northeast Asia.
The remarks from the foreign ministry representative came in response to the increasing calls for tougher sanctions on North Korea after it announced last week that it had carried out a successful hydrogen bomb test. The test, if it turns out to be true, will be the fourth nuclear test carried out by North Korea. The country conducted the previous three in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
China's foreign ministry stated that they "firmly oppose" the nuclear test.
The purpose of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the universal nuclear non-proliferation regime should be sustained, according to Hong, who added that peace and stability in the region is paramount.
North Korea announced on Tuesday that the nuclear test was not meant to be a provocation or threat. A long statement by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) underlined the North's claim that the nuclear test was of formidable miniaturized hydrogen bomb, which marked a "new high stage" in the nation's search for a realistic nuclear prevention.
Experts have widely dismissed the claim, asserting that the test result was far too low for a full-fledged thermonuclear device and was the same as the simple fission implosion gadgets it has tried three times in the past.
KCNA commented that the test was an essential stage on the "normal course," which other nations have taken to the development of a two-stage fission-fusion H-bomb.