Beijing on Wednesday urged Washington to take practical steps toward resolving key issues involving the Korean Peninsula as the top U.S. nuclear envoy is on a visit to South Korea in a bid to jumpstart stalled talks with North Korea. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a briefing on Wednesday that the U.S. holds the key to breaking the impasse with the North. 

He added that the U.S. needs to respond to what he called "reasonable" concerns voiced by North Korea with "sincerity" and "concrete" action. The Chinese spokesman also relayed his government’s intention to keep playing a constructive role in searching for a political solution to the nuclear standoff. 

The remarks were made after the top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the U.S. agreed to resume efforts to get Pyongyang to discuss the scrapping of its nuclear weapons and stressed dialogue to achieve that goal. 

During a meeting with Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Lee Do-hoon in Seoul on Wednesday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun reaffirmed Washington’s flexible stance in achieving a balanced agreement and pledged to continue efforts to make that possible.