Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Thursday called on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to maintain their current interactions, to gradually unlock the door to dialogue and consultation on the Korean Peninsula.
Wang's comment came after Pyongyang agreed to send its athletes, cheerleaders and artists, who have already arrived in the ROK, as well as a high-ranking delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
"China, as the biggest neighboring country to the Korean Peninsula, expresses support to the recent positive interactions," Wang said while meeting the press after the 7th strategic dialogue between China and the African Union.
"Achieving the goal of dialogue and consultation on the Korean Peninsula requires efforts not only from the two parties, but also from all relevant sides," Wang said.
He called on relevant parties to suspend actions that would provoke each other or intensify conflicts, in order to maintain the general stability of the Korean Peninsula and create an atmosphere for dialogue and consultation.
"We hope that dialogue during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics will be conducted routinely," Wang said.
He also expressed hope that interactions between the DPRK and the ROK would be expanded to all relevant parties, particularly between the DPRK and the United States, and efforts to improve ties between the DPRK and the ROK would be expanded to joint efforts for peace, stability, and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"As long as we pull our efforts together, the door to dialogue and consultation on the Korean Peninsula will definitely be unlocked one day," Wang said.
