China, US dialogue seen as 'positive'

Discussions continue momentum of the Xi-Trump meeting at Mar-a-Lago

China said it is willing to maintain communication and cooperate with the United States on solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue on the eve of the first round of the China-US Diplomatic and Security Dialogue on Wednesday in Washington.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the remark on Tuesday as a senior US diplomat said the dialogue will focus on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and other issues such as the South China Sea and maritime issues, working to defeat ISIS and other risk-reduction efforts, and military-to-military relations.

The dialogue is based on the consensus that President Xi Jinping reached with his US counterpart Donald Trump during their meeting in April at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi will co-chair the dialogue with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis. General Fang Fenghui, a member of the Central Military Commission of the People's Liberation Army and chief of the Joint Staff Department of the PLA, will also attend.

Geng said China insists on peacefully solving issues through talks, and he urged all parties to be responsible and meet each other halfway to jointly promote the appropriate resolution of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

"China is willing to work with the US and other related parties to maintain communication and cooperation," he said at a daily news conference.

Speaking in Washington on Monday, Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary of the US State Department Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said: "We hope that the Diplomatic and Security Dialogue will continue the positive momentum from that Mar-a-Lago meeting. And we think it will enable us to deepen our communication and make progress on priority issues. "We remain committed to a policy that aims to expand cooperation with China where it's possible and also to narrow our differences on key issues."

Geng said the South China Sea situation has been stabilizing due to the joint efforts of China and ASEAN countries.

Last month, China and ASEAN approved a draft framework of the South China Sea Code of Conduct in Guiyang, Guizhou province. "We hope related countries will respect regional countries' efforts to peacefully solve their disputes through talks and negotiations, and do more that is conducive to regional peace and stability," he said.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the regular and frequent communication between high-level Chinese and US officials will help to further develop the relationship.

"The high-level dialogue, as the specific implementation of the leaders' consensus, will enable both sides to sit down and exchange views on issues of common concern in order to reach a certain degree of agreement," he said.

Contact the writers at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn