US-DPRK talks 'not anywhere close': State

The United States is "not anywhere close" to having talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and its joint military exercise with the Republic of Korea will continue later this month, a US State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The remarks were made hours after US President Donald Trump tweeted that DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, "made a very wise and reasonable decision" amid indications his country has decided not to proceed with a multiple missile launch toward the US territory of Guam, saying, "The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!"

"The United States is willing to sit down with North Korea and have a conversation, but we are not anywhere near that point yet, and that is because North Korea has not stopped its destabilizing activities," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters.

United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said that it was important "to dial down rhetoric and dial up diplomacy".

Nauert also said that the US would continue to conduct its joint military exercises with the Republic of Korea, which are scheduled to start next week, claiming that such drills have been "routinely conducted" globally.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday that the upcoming US-Republic of Korea joint military exercise might "again trigger a crisis".

Wang Junsheng, a researcher in Asia-Pacific studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also said the repeated occurrence of the "August crisis" on the peninsula is closely related to the US-ROK annual exercise.

In a phone call with Sigmar Gabriel, the German vice-chancellor and foreign minister, Foreign Minister Wang said there have been easing signs on the peninsula, but "the 'August crisis' has not ended, and all parties should work together on that".

Shi Yongming, a researcher at the China Institute of International Relations, said the "easing signs" Minister Wang mentioned refer to Washington's open stance on talks with Pyongyang and Pyongyang's remarks about delaying its "enveloping fire" of missiles around Guam.

Zhang Yunbi and Zhou Jin contributed to the story.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA?08/17/2017 page1)