China expects Korean Peninsula nuclear issue to be resolved peacefully

BEIJING -- All sides should be committed to the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and avoid escalation of tensions, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a routine press briefing that Foreign Minister Wang Yi had stated China's position to US Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone conversation on Thursday.

"No matter what happens, [all parties] should adhere to the objective of denuclearization of the peninsula and maintain peace, stability in the peninsula," Hua said.

China urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to abide by its commitment to non-nuclearization and desist from all actions that might worsen the situation, Hua stressed.

At the same time, other sides should address the issue in a calm way and avoid intensifying contradictions, she said.

Wang told Kerry that China stands ready to work with other parties to jointly address the issue to safeguard the international nuclear non-proliferation regime under the new situation, said Hua.

The DPRK announced Wednesday that it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test.

The test, if confirmed, is the fourth nuclear test conducted by the DPRK. The previous three were carried out in 2006, 2009 and 2013, respectively.

China "firmly opposes" the nuclear test, the Foreign Ministry has said, noting that it knew noting about the test beforehand.