Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for dialogue and negotiations in resolving the North Korean nuclear problem, reiterating his firm determination to help make the Korean Peninsula nuclear free.
 
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday, Xi revealed the position in a phone conversation with Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday.
 
The Chinese president said that Beijing firmly supports the policy of denuclearization and maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. He stressed that all problems must be settled through dialogue and negotiations.
 
Xi called on concerned countries to exercise restraint and return to the right track of dialogue and negotiations. He also asked the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) to play an active role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.
 
It appears that the Chinese president delivered the request to Duterte, as the Philippines currently holds the rotating chairmanship of the ASEAN.
 
In a summit of the leaders of its member nations in Manila last weekend, the ASEAN included the Korean Peninsula issue in its official agenda. It also expressed deep concerns about nuclear and missile tests by North Korea while calling for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions. 

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