China Hopes North Korea, US to Take Measures for Start of Dialogue

10:14 GMT, 27 February 2018

BEIJING (Sputnik) – Beijing hopes that the positive trend in cooperation between Pyongyang and Seoul, which has emerged during the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea, will continue in a dialogue between North Korea and the US, both of which should take necessary steps for this, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated.

Sputnik

Beijing believes that stability on the Korean Peninsula, which has surfaced recently, will "be able to return all the relevant parties to the settlement of the existing problem through dialogue and talks," the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday at a regular press briefing.

"We hope that the relevant parties will take the necessary actions for this," Lu noted, adding that China and the whole international community were expecting the start of a dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

'Ivanka Trump of North Korea' Captivates World's Media at Winter Olympics

11 February 2018, 13:10 GMT

The recent Winter Olympics in South Korea’s Pyeongchang were notable by a rapprochement between North Korea and South Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated that North Korean officials had told him about Pyongyang’s willingness to hold direct talks with the United States.

Meanwhile, the United States imposed a new range of its own sanctions last week against North Korea. US President Donald Trump showed readiness to move to "phase two" if these restrictions did not lead to curbing the North Korean nuclear and weapons program.

In 2017, the situation on the Korean Peninsula intensified due to North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches and its nuclear program, which has also led to sharpened tensions between Washington and the United States.