China says it supports the DPRK and US to step up contact and talks

Kim Jong-un meets Moon Jae-in on Sept. 18.

On Wednesday, Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Moon Jae-in, President of South Korea, signed an agreement following their second round of talks in Pyongyang, DPRK.

The United States congratulated the two leaders on the successful outcome of their summit meeting. US President Donald Trump has said that he would like to meetwants another meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong-un Un soon and Mike Pompeo, Trump’shis secretary of state, issued a statement saying that “the United States is prepared to engage immediately in negotiations to transform US-DPRK relations.”

At a regular press conference on Thursday, a reporter asked the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to comment on the recent developments.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang responded by quoting State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said that China firmly supports and warmly congratulates the leaders of the DPRK and South Korea on the signing of the “Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018.”

Geng said that China has taken note of the US side’s positive evaluation of the summit meeting and the positive remarks regarding talks between the DPRK and the US, adding that China supports and looks forward to the efforts by the DPRK and the US to step up contact and negotiations, accommodate each other's legitimate concerns, enhance mutual trust, implement the consensus reached at the DPRK-US summit, and make new progress in the denuclearization of the Peninsula and the political settlement process.

China has always believed that constructive and sincere dialogue between the leaders of the United States and the DPRK holds the key to resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

In a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping in March, made at the request of the US side, Trump admitted that a high-level meeting between his country and the DPRK is good for all parties and acknowledged that dialogue with the DPRK is the right path.

US President Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un signed a historic agreement committing to work together to “build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula” at the end of their summit in Singapore on June 12, a substantial step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and its political settlement.

According to recent reports citing the president of South Korea, Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the DPRK, wants a second summit with the US president to happen soon to speed up the denuclearization process. The White House has previously said that it is open to the idea.

Regarding the possibility of a second DPRK-US summit, Geng said at a previous regular press conference that China is glad to see positive interactions between the DPRK and the US. “It serves the common interests of all relevant parties, including the DPRK and the US, and meets the expectations of the international community to sustain the momentum of dialogue and detente and move forward peace talks.”