China has declined to directly address a report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw the testing of a new tactical weapon. 

At a briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang was asked whether China was concerned about a Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) report earlier in the day that said Kim supervised the test-firing of the weapon on Wednesday. 

Avoiding a direct answer, the spokesman said Beijing hopes North Korea and the U.S. work together to ease the situation on the Korean Peninsula. 

Noting how related issues are at an important stage, he said China hopes the interested parties, particularly North Korea and the U.S., will sit down face-to-face soon. 

When asked whether Pyongyang informed Beijing in advance of the reported weapon test, Lu declined to comment, saying he had no information to offer.