Beijing backs talks on Korea concerns

Restarting six-party negotiations is way out of nuclear problems, official says

China would like to improve communication with all related parties, including the United States, to help restart negotiations on Korean Peninsula nuclear issues, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday.

Geng also said State Councilor Yang Jiechi spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, the latest in a series of recent high-level China-US contacts.

The nations' two top diplomatic representatives agreed to push forward bilateral ties and exchanged views on a number of international issues, including the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the Foreign Ministry said in a news release.

Geng reiterated China's willingness to push to restart the Six-Party Talks - involving Beijing, Pyongyang, Washington, Seoul, Moscow and Tokyo - on the basis of taking all sides' concerns into consideration.

"China is dedicated to breaking the negative cycle of the (Korean) Peninsula issue," Geng said at the regular news conference.

China is willing to make joint efforts with all related sides to play a constructive role in handling the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula and maintaining stability in the region, Geng said.

In a phone conversation earlier this month, President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump reached a consensus on safeguarding the foundations of China-US relations and promoting bilateral exchanges, paving the way for the next stage of development in their relations, Yang noted during the conversation with Tillerson.

China hopes the two countries, following through on the spirit of their contacts, will uphold the principles of nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation as well as enhance high-level exchanges, Yang said, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Tillerson said that strong bilateral cooperation not only benefits both countries but also is good for regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, the Foreign Ministry said.

February also has seen a face-to-face meeting between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Tillerson and a phone conversation between Yang and former US National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Fan Jishe, a researcher on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noted that "the frequency of high-level contacts between Beijing and Washington is on the rise".

"Such contacts are significant when the new US administration's China policies are still taking shape, because they could help set the tone for relations in the near future, chart the course in general, and provide briefings for either side," Fan said.

Although the existence of differing views cannot be erased overnight, sufficient communication could help narrow the gap, Fan said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn