Korean denuclearization not 'overnight': China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping can help more about the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, Beijing responded Thursday that the issue would not be solved "overnight."

The denuclearization of North Korea is not a very easy process, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). “Otherwise it would not have dragged on until today.”

China expressed hope, however, the U.S. and North Korea will keep talking but Lu said he has “yet to hear what Trump or the North Korean leader had to say about the meeting.

“But I have always hoped that everyone can realize that the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula has been going on for many years, and that solving this problem is definitely not something that can be achieved overnight,” Lu said.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met for a second summit Thursday to strike a deal on denuclearization of North Korea and discuss lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang.

After the meeting was unexpectedly cut short in Hanoi, Vietnam, Trump told media that China and Russia could be helpful in achieving peace, calling Chinese President Xi Jinping "a highly respected leader. He has been helpful. Could he be a bit more helpful? Probably yes."

He said 93 percent of things going in North Korea were from China, signifying that China was Pyongyang's major ally.

"It was about sanctions. Kim wanted sanctions to be lifted in entirety, we could not do that. [But] we have not given up,” he said.

Trump also, however, expressed optimism, saying: "We have made lot more progress today."

Lu reiterated Beijing's suggestion for Washington and Pyongyang to "take care of each other's legitimate concerns."