China Hopes North Korea, US to Take Measures for Start of Dialogue

BEIJING (Sputnik) – Beijing hopes that the positive trend in cooperation between Pyongyang and Seoul, which has emerged during the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea, will continue in a dialogue between North Korea and the US, both of which should take necessary steps for this, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated.

Beijing believes that stability on the Korean Peninsula, which has surfaced recently, will "be able to return all the relevant parties to the settlement of the existing problem through dialogue and talks," the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday at a regular press briefing.

"We hope that the relevant parties will take the necessary actions for this," Lu noted, adding that China and the whole international community were expecting the start of a dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

The recent Winter Olympics in South Korea’s Pyeongchang were notable by a rapprochement between North Korea and South Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated that North Korean officials had told him about Pyongyang’s willingness to hold direct talks with the United States.

READ MORE: North Korea ‘Willing' to Talk to Washington, But Trump is Trepidatious

Meanwhile, the United States imposed a new range of its own sanctions last week against North Korea. US President Donald Trump showed readiness to move to "phase two" if these restrictions did not lead to curbing the North Korean nuclear and weapons program.

In 2017, the situation on the Korean Peninsula intensified due to North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches and its nuclear program, which has also led to sharpened tensions between Washington and the United States.