China's foreign minister Wang Yi during a news briefing as part of the annual meeting of China's parliament said that peace must prevail, amid signs of easing tension over North Korea's nuclear and missile program.
China's foreign minister cautiously welcomed Seoul's announcement that Pyongyang had offered to hold denuclearisation talks with the United States in return for security guarantees.
"The Korean peninsula issue has finally taken an important step in the right direction," Wang noted.
"These initial steps must be followed up by corresponding and concerted efforts by the parties," China's foreign minister said.
But Wang noted that breakthroughs on the North Korean nuclear issue had collapsed in the past.
"Of course it takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice," China's foreign minister said.
"Despite light at the end of the tunnel, the journey ahead won't be smooth", Wang Yi concluded.
History has reminded us time and again that whenever tensions subsided on the peninsula the situation would be clouded by various interferences," China's foreign minister added. "
"Now is the crucial moment to test the sincerity of the parties to solve the nuclear issue", Yi insisted.
