BEIJING — Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei on Jan 12 called on relevant sides to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and safeguard its peace and stability through dialogue and consultations.

China has been always committed to denuclearization of the peninsula and its peace and stability, spokesman Hong Lei said at a routine press briefing.

He stressed that China is opposed to all actions that may lead to tension.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s official news agency KCNA reported on Jan 10 that the DPRK government made a “crucial” proposal on Jan to the US side demanding suspension of joint military drills to be conducted with the Republic of Korea (ROK) this year. In response, Pyongyang said it will temporarily suspend its nuclear testing.

US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki on Jan 10 said the DPRK statement “inappropriately” links routine US-ROK exercises to the possibility of a nuclear test and called the proposal an “implicit threat.”