China urges global support for proposed Seoul-Pyongyang talks

China on Tuesday urged the international community, including the US which is directly involved in the Korean conflict, to back South Korea's proposal for a dialogue with North Korea to ease current tension in the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Beijing supports Seoul's proposal to hold the first military talks with North Korea in three years and urged other countries to do the same, Efe news reported.

"The international community, especially the directly concerned parties involved, should take this opportunity to give a push (to this effort)," said Lu at a press conference.

On Monday, the South Korean government suggested a reunion between families, who were separated during the Korean war, at the "Peace Pavilion" in the Joint Security Area, located in the heart of the demilitarised zone between the North and the South.

Pyongyang is yet to respond to Seoul's offer.

Seoul's proposal follows South Korean President Moon Jae-in's speech in Berlin in which he offered to initiate a dialogue to de-escalate tension on the Korean peninsula and expressed his readiness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "anytime and anywhere" under the right conditions.

Repeated missile tests by North Korea have heightened tensions in the region and led the US to hint at possible preemptive strikes against the Kim Jong-un regime.

--IANS

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