Putin-Kim meeting to facilitate North Korea’s denuclearization

The upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will help resolve the Korean Peninsula’s nuclear disarmament issue and preserve peace in the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said at a briefing on Friday.

"Russia and North Korea are China’s good neighbors and we are pleased to see that they are boosting ties at the highest level," he said in response to a question from a South Korean reporter. "We are confident that it will facilitate efforts to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue through political means and contribute to preserving peace and stability in the region," Lu Kang added.

The Chinese diplomat was hopeful that Pyongyang would continue its policy of rapprochement towards Washington, which, in his words, would help ensure North Korea’s denuclearization. "We hope that the trend of dialogue between the North Korea and the United States will continue and the two countries’ interaction will produce even more positive results," he concluded.

The Kremlin press service said earlier that the Russian president and the North Korean leader would hold a meeting in Russia before the end of the month. According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the summit is most likely to take place in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.