China calls for further dialogue between DPRK, U.S.

China firmly supports the Pyongyang summit between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK), and hopes the DPRK and the United States lose no time to have further contact and dialogue to push the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2nd L) and his wife Ri Sol Ju (1st L) pose with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (2nd R) and his wife Kim Jung-sook (1st R) on the top of Mount Paektu on September 20, 2018. [Photo: IC]

Under a joint declaration signed at the summit, the DPRK said it is willing to continue with additional steps toward denuclearization, such as the permanent destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear facility, if the United States takes corresponding actions in line with the spirit of the DPRK-U.S. agreement reached at a summit in Singapore in June.

The DPRK's stance is worth approving, spokesperson Geng Shuang told a routine press briefing. "We hope the DPRK and the United States meet each other halfway."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday in a statement that the United States is prepared to engage immediately in negotiations to transform U.S.-DPRK relations.

Noting the positive comments made by the United States, Geng said China supports and hopes the DPRK and the United States lose no time to have further contact and dialogue, take each other's reasonable concerns into consideration, build up mutual trust, implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries and work for continuous development in the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and in the political settlement of the issue.

"Other relevant parties should also take action and make joint efforts," said the spokesperson.