China expressed its hope Thursday that the recent interactions between the two koreas during the Winter Olympic Games will lead to dialogue among all parties, particularly between North Korea and the United States.
Geng Shuang, a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Foreign Ministry's recent comment on the Korean Peninsula issue.
"We hope that all concerned parties will work together to maintain the hard-earned momentum of dialogue," Geng said.
According to media reports, the ROK Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that ROK would strictly implement UN Security Council resolutions and sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Games.
It said ROK will seek "consensus from the international community on the need to create a virtuous cycle" and make diplomatic efforts toward a peaceful solution to the peninsula nuclear issue.
ROK would persuade the DPRK to start dialogue with the United States as soon as possible, and seek to advance denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula on the two wheels of the inter-Korea dialogue and DPRK-U.S. dialogue, the ministry said.
"As a close neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, China welcomes and supports the active interactions and friendly cooperation between the two Koreas at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics," said Geng.
He said China hopes that parties concerned could avoid provocative action and maintain the relatively stable situation, creating conditions for dialogue.
"We hope the United States and the DPRK will seize the opportunity, show sincerity and meet each other half way," Geng said.
