Chinese President Xi congratulates President Moon, discusses Pyongyang

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a telephone call to newly-elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday and congratulated him on his victory state.

During their conversation, both leaders agreed to pursue the goal of denuclearisation of Korean peninsula .

Congratulating Moon on his election as South Korean president, President Xi said that China and South Korea are close neighbours as well as important players in the region.

"We want to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean peninsula together with other countries including South Korea," The Global Times quoted Xi as saying.

Both sides should respect each other's major concerns and legitimate interests and try best to seek common ground and handle disputes properly, Xi said.

On his part, Jae-in expressed his desire to make joint efforts with China to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula by resuming the six-party talks.

He said "South Korea wants to pursue the goal to denuclearize the Korean peninsula together with China, including resuming the six-party talks as soon as possible and other methods".

Tensions in Korean Peninsula escalated in recent months after Pyongyang conducted a number of nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.