Kim Jong Un opens door to dialogue with US, China monitors situation

Beijing (ANTARA) - The Chinese government has stated that it continues to monitor the dynamics on the Korean Peninsula following signals of reconciliation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un towards the United States.

The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, affirmed that stability in the region is a collective interest.

“A peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula and the resolution of issues through political means are in the interest of all parties,” Mao said at a press conference in Beijing, Thursday (26/2).

This statement came after Kim Jong Un, while concluding an important agenda of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday, opened the possibility of restoring relations with Washington.

However, Kim set a tough condition: the US must stop its hostile policies and recognise North Korea’s status as a nuclear-armed state.

Even though offering dialogue, North Korea’s five-year policy report shows a contradictory position. Kim affirmed that Pyongyang remains “fully prepared to face confrontation with the US in the future.”

The North Korean news agency KCNA reported that strengthening nuclear capabilities remains the core of the national defence strategy. This suggests that North Korea will not abandon its nuclear weapons program under any circumstances, unless there is a drastic change in global geopolitics.

This diplomatic effort comes amid Washington’s readiness to revive dialogue with Pyongyang since Donald Trump served his second term as US President.

Although Trump and Kim have met three times before, the two countries’ nuclear negotiations have so far remained at a diplomatic impasse.