Xi promises support in solving N. Korean nuclear issue

Amid a series of public assassinations in North Korea where leader Kim Jong-un is seeking to consolidate his power, China has once agin vowed to show support in resolving Pyongyang's nuclear issue.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday said he would make aggressive efforts to address North Korea's reticence to denuclearize, and also expressed support for his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye's North Korea policy.

Xi made the remarks when South Korea's visiting National Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee asked him for help in resolving the North's nuclear issue during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

The Chinese leader said that his country will do its best to play a constructive role in and assume the responsibility for resolving issues on the Korean Peninsula, including the nuclear weapons issue.

Xi expressed strong support for Park's signature North Korea policy, called the "Korean Peninsula Trust Process," for inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation.

Asked about Beijing's relations with Seoul, Xi said that they were "better than any other time."

Xi expressed his wish to visit Seoul sometime next year.

By Kim Ji-hyun and news reports

(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)