China, S. Korea see improved ties with N. Korea helpful

January 6, 2018

Seoul- Top Chinese and South Korean negotiators in the six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear program have shared the view that an improvement in North-South relations will lead to the resumption of dialogue toward denuclearizing the reclusive Asian nation.

At a meeting in Seoul on Friday with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Do-hoon, Kong Xuanyou, the Chinese government's representative for the Korean Peninsula affairs, welcomed the restart of dialogue, set for Tuesday, and efforts to improve bilateral relations between the two Koreas, according to the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

Kong wished for successful North-South talks, the ministry said.

The Lee-Kong meeting was held in the wake of Pyongyang's acceptance of Seoul's proposal to hold a high-level meeting.

At the meeting, the two negotiators hailed North Korea's decision to take part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in South Korea's Pyeongchang in February as a move that will contribute to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and changing the situation there, the ministry said.

In addition, they reaffirmed the importance of steady implementation of the U.N. Security Council's sanctions resolutions against North Korea and China-South Korea cooperation for resolving the nuclear issue peacefully, it said. Jiji Press