China hails 'courage' of North, South Korean leaders

As the two Korean leaders hold a landmark summit, China's spokesperson held a press conference.

Published: 27th April 2018 02:18 PM  |   Last Updated: 27th April 2018 02:18 PM   |  A+A-

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, second from left, during a meeting inside the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone Friday, April 27, 2018. | AP

By AFP

BEIJING: China on Friday heaped praised on the leaders of the two Koreas for holding a landmark summit, calling their handshake over the Military Demarcation Line that divides the peninsula a "historic moment".

"We applaud the Korean leaders' historic step and appreciate their political decisions and courage," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing.

"We hope and look forward to them taking this opportunity to further open a new journey of long-term stability on the peninsula."

She also cited a poem that reads: "We remain brothers after all the  vicissitudes; let's forgo our old grudges, smiling we meet again."

China is North Korea's sole major ally but it has supported a series of United Nations sanctions to punish Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests.

Beijing has pressed for dialogue to peacefully resolve the nuclear crisis.

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