The move to halt nuclear and ballistic missile tests effective immediately was announced earlier in the day after a meeting of the North Korean ruling party's central committee on Friday. The state news agency, KCNA, said North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un would also shut an atomic test site in the country's north.
"China hopes that all the parties concerned will take a step toward each other and take concrete action in order to achieve lasting peace and common progress in the region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement.
Lu stressed that China intended to continue playing an active role in this process.
North Korea’s decision was met with praise by US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe demanded that it be followed by a complete dismantlement of the North's nuclear and missile programs.