China responds to DPRK-U.S. contact in Norway

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang holds a regular press conference in Beijing, capital of China, May 9, 2017. [Photo: gov.cn]

China said on Tuesday it has noticed the talks between representatives of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States in Norway, calling on solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue via peaceful means.

Dialogue between the DPRK government officials and U.S. experts was held on Monday and Tuesday in Oslo, according to reports.

The DPRK delegation is reportedly led by its Foreign Ministry's North America bureau chief Choe Son-hui. Her counterpart is Suzanne DiMaggio, director and senior fellow at a Washington D.C.-based think tank and former official in the Obama administration, said Yonhap News Agency of the Republic of Korea (ROK).

The previous informal talks between the DPRK and the United States were held in Geneva, Switzerland last November.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing that China has always advanced that the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue should be solved via peaceful means.

China has kept contact with parties concerned, urging for restraint and avoidance of provocation, he said.

He said China has also noticed the positive signals in recent U.S. statements expressing the willingness to solve the nuclear issue via peaceful negotiation.

"China will continue to actively engage with all relevant parties and promote the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back on the right track of dialogue and consultation," Geng said.