BEIJING, Sept. 8 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on the Korean Peninsula issue, stressing China's insistence that the peninsula be denuclearized.

Xi said China has been adamant in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, preserving the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and maintaining peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

Only a peaceful settlement through dialogue and negotiation can resolve the nuclear issue, Xi said, expressing hope that France, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would play a constructive role in easing the situation and restarting dialogue.

For his part, Macron said his country has been committed to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. France attaches importance to China's peaceful approach to solving the issue, he said.

Macron said he is willing to enhance cooperation with China to push for a proper settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

On China-France relations, Xi said that during his first meeting with Macron in Hamburg, Germany in July, they reached an important consensus on developing a strong and energetic comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Both sides should continue to develop closer cooperation on the basis of respecting each other's core interests and major concerns to realize mutual benefits, he said, adding that the China-France relationship should develop in a sustainable, healthy and steady manner.

For his part, Macron congratulated China on the successful BRICS Summit in Xiamen. He said France and China are comprehensive strategic partners, and under the current international circumstance, bilateral cooperation to deal with global challenges is more important than before.

France is dedicated to deepening France-China ties, and strengthening cooperation with China in areas such as economy, nuclear energy and environment, the French president said.