China welcomes inter-Korean talks

By Fuat Kabakci

BEIJING

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday welcomed the talks between North and South Koreas during a phone call with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

Xi voiced his support for the ongoing dialogue between the Seoul and Pyongyang governments in the Korean peninsula, the statement said.

The Chinese president said that Beijing and Seoul agreed to cooperate on sensitive issues and bolster their strategic communication.

On Wednesday, the South Korean president said improving inter-Korean ties depended on the North’s willingness to abandon its controversial nuclear weapons program.

While Pyongyang has opened up to Seoul since leader Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s Day offer to participate at PyeongChang 2018, North Korea remains openly committed to nukes and hostile to the U.S. -- as demonstrated by Jong-un’s repeated threats to strike the American mainland.

Pyongyang’s sixth-ever nuke test last year and a series of missile launches incurred bolstered global sanctions.

By Fuat Kabakci

BEIJING

Xi voiced his support for the ongoing dialogue between the Seoul and Pyongyang governments in the Korean peninsula, the statement said.

The Chinese president said that Beijing and Seoul agreed to cooperate on sensitive issues and bolster their strategic communication.

On Wednesday, the South Korean president said improving inter-Korean ties depended on the North’s willingness to abandon its controversial nuclear weapons program.

Pyongyang’s sixth-ever nuke test last year and a series of missile launches incurred bolstered global sanctions.