Resolve Korean Peninsula issue via diplomatic means: China to US

Beijing: China has called on the US to back up Monday`s statement by senior US officials that Washington wished to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue through diplomatic means.

China`s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks on Tuesday in response to an opinion piece by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, stressing the importance of a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Xinhua news agency reported.

Tillerson and Mattis wrote in The Wall Street Journal that Washington has "no interest" in regime change in Pyongyang nor in accelerated reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and that "diplomacy is our preferred means" of changing the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea`S (DPRK) course of action.

Speaking at a daily press briefing, Hua said that China hopes to see concrete policies by the US side towards North Korea that reflect the views of the two senior officials. "We also call on the DPRK to respond to these remarks," she said.

Tensions escalated on the peninsula after North Korea test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles twice last month. US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang that if it continued to threaten Washington, it would be met with "fire and fury".

In response, Pyongyang warned of the launch of intermediate-range ballistic missiles targeting the waters off the US island of Guam in the Pacific.

Hua said China has always believed that the security issue is the crux of Korean Peninsula denuclearisation and that "the key is in the hands of the US and the DPRK".

She said China hopes that all parties concerned will accept Beijing`s "suspension for suspension" proposal which requires North Korea to suspend its missile and nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale military drills between the US and South Korea.

"We hope the two sides can work together and create conditions to restart dialogue," Hua said. 

China will continue to implement UN Security Council resolutions and play an active role in the peaceful resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue, she said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that US military action on the Korean Peninsula may not be taken without Seoul`s consent, and the crisis should "absolutely" be solved peacefully.