Beijing(August 12, 2017): Chinese President Xi Jinping urged US President Donald Trump in a phone call to avoid “words and deeds” that would “exacerbate” the already-tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, state television reported.
Xi also called on “relevant parties to maintain restraint” and to “persist in the general direction of dialogue, negotiations and a political settlement”, it said.
Trump issued a new threat to North Korea on Friday, saying the US military was “locked and loaded”, as Pyongyang accused him of driving the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war and world powers expressed alarm.
Xi told Trump that it was in the joint interests of both China and the United States to achieve the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and protect peace and stability there.
Resolving the nuclear issue ultimately needs to be done politically via talks, and China is willing to maintain communication with the United States on the basis of mutual respect to push for an appropriate resolution, Xi added.
