On Tuesday, China appealed for the re-establishment of U.S.-North Korea ties “as soon as possible” and the resolution of the increasing tensions over the nuclear crisis.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry appealed for negotiations after U.S. President Donald Trump expressed the possibility of a future meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
During an interview with Bloomberg News, Trump said that it would be a privilege to meet with Kim at an indefinite future date “if it would be appropriate.”
Responding to Trump’s statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that Washington and Pyongyang have to take a specific course of action to have peace and to prevent the nuclear crisis to intensify further.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has quickly become a top global security concern. Various countries across the world have expressed opposition to the nuclear and missile tests.
China has been urging the two parties to stand down after North Korea conducted a series of missile tests and a huge live artillery drill last week. The drill was considered as the North’s largest yet.
On the other hand, South Korea said on Tuesday that a missile defense system sponsored by the U.S. is now functioning--above China’s strong opposition. Last month, U.S. and South Korean troops carried out joint exercises along the border of North Korea.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Beijing has observed that the messages sent by the Trump administration are more diplomatic and deems them constructive.
“Both sides should reach a political resolution as soon as possible,” Geng said, adding that “the most effective way of attaining an improvement is to seek ways to re-establish dialogue and contact.”
As a new-found friend to the U.S. and as a long-time ally of North Korea, China seeks to mend the ties between the two countries, to ease the growing tensions and to peacefully resolve the nuclear crisis.