"Beijing is making these efforts [on the Korean peninsula nuclear issue] not out of some outside pressure but because we are part of the region and a responsible member of the international society, the situation on the Korean peninsula is part of our fundamental circle of interests and that is why China works to settle it," Geng said at a briefing, commenting on US President Donald Trump's Tuesday statement that China tried but failed to help the United States in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.
China is playing an important and constructive role to address the problem, the ministerial spokesman noted.
"Due to escalation of the situation on the Korean peninsula that is seen recently China makes even more effort to promote peace talks in order to return the Korean peninsula issue back on the path of consultation and dialogue," Geng stressed.
Washington has long called on Beijing to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang, as China accounts for around 90 percent of North Korea’s trade.
On June 2, the UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions against North Korea, adding 14 individuals and four companies to the list of those under punitive measures.
Since April, North Korea has conducted several tests for rockets of various range. The last launch happened on June 9.
The six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, attended by Russia, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea and North Korea, had went through six rounds in 2003-2007. The talks were discontinued in 2009 after North Korea conducted a satellite launch and later detonated a nuclear device underground.
