China welcomes rapprochement between DPRK, ROK

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- China hopes all parties concerned will cherish the current detente on the Korean Peninsula and work together to achieve a nuclear-free peninsula, said a Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday.

Spokesman Geng Shuang made the remarks at a routine press briefing when asked to comment on the invitation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to the Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in to travel to Pyongyang for talks.

Geng said China welcomes the recent dialogue and cooperation between the two Koreas on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

He said the joint efforts made by the DPRK and the ROK to improve relations and promote reconciliation and cooperation were in the fundamental interests of both sides and conducive to promoting peace and development in the region.

"We hope that dialogue during the Olympics will extend to routine dialogue, and dialogue between DPRK and the ROK will be expanded to dialogue between all the relevant parties, especially between DPRK and the United States," Geng quoted Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying.

He also said he hoped that the two Korea's efforts to improve relations would be expanded to joint efforts of all parties to maintain peace in the Korean Peninsula. Enditem