China has advised the United States to listen to North Korea and its grievances at a time when the leaders of the two allied Asian neighbors are emphasizing the growing ties between their nations.
As President Joe Biden configures his approach to the nuclear-armed nation, his administration is seeking China’s help in resolving the ongoing issue on the Korean Peninsula.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry published a readout Tuesday of a July 6 telephone conversation between the Chinese government’s special representative on Korean Peninsula Affairs, Liu Xiaoming, and U.S. special representative for North Korea Sung Kim.
“Liu stated China’s stance on issues of the Korean Peninsula and expressed his views on the US’ policy review on the DPRK,” the readout stated, using an acronym for North Korea’s official title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
South Korea, for its part, is officially known as the Republic of Korea.
Liu also “stressed the importance of the dual-track approach and the phased and synchronized principle in promoting the political settlement of the Peninsula issues,” and “called on the US take seriously and address the DPRK’s legitimate and reasonable concerns, and support the DPRK-ROK reconciliation and cooperation,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.