Chinese top diplomat supports DPRK, U.S. leaders' historic meeting

Chinese authorities have voiced their support for the unprecedented meeting between North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the Singapore meeting marks a new page in history after half a century of tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi [File Photo: Xinhua]

"The U.S. and North Korea have been opposing each other, and even hostile to each other for more than half a century. Today, the fact that the two countries' top leaders can sit together and hold equal talks has great and positive significance, creating a new history. Of course, China welcomes and supports the meeting because this is exactly what we look forward to and what we have been working for," Wang Yi said.

The Chinese foreign minister says this meeting should be able to set the table for conversations on equal terms between Kim and Trump.

"We hope that top leaders of the two countries will eliminate barriers, establish mutual trust, overcome difficulties and reach basic consensus on promoting and achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and enhancing and building a peace mechanism on the peninsula. We hope they can make an important step in this direction. Of course, we are willing to see all the relevant parties making positive efforts in this regard."

Wang Yi also says China will continue to do its part in in helping denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump began their summit with a historic handshake lasting for several seconds.

They then met one-on-one for about 40 minutes, before proceeding to an expanded meeting joined by a few aides.

The two leaders later signed a joint statement, with Kim agreeing to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees.

"Today, we had a historic meeting and decided to leave the past behind, and we are signing a historic document. The world will see a major change. I would like to express my gratitude to President Trump to make this meeting happen," Kim said.

The statement says that the two leaders conducted a "comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions" on issues with regard to establishing new North Korea-U.S. ties and building a lasting, robust peace mechanism on the peninsula.

The two sides also agreed to commit to recovering the remains of prisoners of war and those missing in action during the Korean War in early 1950s, with those already identified set to be repatriated.

After the summit, Donald Trump took question from the roughly 25-hundred reporters covering the event, saying his meeting with Kim Jong Un proves that real change is indeed possible.

"My meeting with Chairman Kim was honest direct and productive. We've got to know each other well in a very confined period of time under very strong, strong circumstance. We're prepared to start a new history and we're ready to write a new chapter between our nations," Trump noted.

Trump has also revealed the US side plans to stop conducting its annual war games with South Korea, and that sanctions against North Korea will be lifted if -quote- "they know the nukes are no longer a factor."

The summit in Singapore represents the first-ever meeting between a sitting U.S. President and a top North Korean leader.