China, Russia "concerned" over Korean peninsula nuclear issue

SHANGHAI, May 20 -- China and Russia issued a joint statement on Tuesday stating that they are concerned about the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the political and military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

China and Russia issued the joint statement in Shanghai during a state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China and Russia stressed that all parties should take concrete actions to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, saying that problems in the region should not be resolved by force but, rather, through negotiations.

Both countries said the six-party talks are the only pragmatic and effective solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, calling on all parties to do more for peace and stability in the region, and work for the restart of the six-party talks and lasting peace on the peninsula.

China and Russia have agreed to coordinate and cooperate closely to establish an effective mechanism for peace and stability in the northeastern Asian region, the statement said.

They also reiterated that safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, denuclearizing the peninsula, and solving problems through dialogues and negotiations are in the interests of all parties.

The Russian president arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday to start his state visit to China and to attend the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia.