China welcomes Trump’s openness to talks with N. Korea

by Rebecca Savransky - 04/27/17 8:45 AM ET

China on Thursday said it welcomed the United States’ openness to talks with North Korea but decried the U.S. missile defense system being deployed in South Korea.

The Trump administration said Wednesday the U.S. wanted “stability and the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”

“We remain open to negotiations toward that goal,” the Trump administration said in a statement. “However, we remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the U.S. statement “is positive and should be affirmed.”

{mosads}”We have noted these expressions, and have noted the message conveyed in these expressions hoping to resolve the Korean nuclear issue peacefully through dialogue and consultation,” he said, according to Reuters.

The U.S. military is moving parts of its THAAD missile defense system to a deployment site in South Korea, according to a Tuesday report.

The defense system is intended to shoot down short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Six trailers carrying parts of the THAAD system were taken to a deployment site at a South Korean golf course.

The move came amid increased tensions between the U.S. and North Korea as concerns have grown in recent weeks that Pyongyang could be preparing to conduct its sixth nuclear test.

South Korea and the U.S. on Thursday agreed to take “swift punitive measures” regarding North Korea.

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