China confirms U.S.-China talks touched on North Korea denuclearization

May 19 (Asia Today) -- China's Foreign Ministry on Sunday officially confirmed that North Korea-related nuclear issues were discussed during the recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, while avoiding direct use of the phrase "North Korea denuclearization."

The comments came after the White House released a fact sheet stating that Trump and Xi "reaffirmed the shared goal of North Korea's denuclearization" following last week's summit.

Asked about the statement during a regular press briefing Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said China's position on Korean Peninsula issues "maintains continuity and stability."

"China has consistently played a constructive role in promoting the political settlement process of the Korean Peninsula issue in its own way," Guo said.

He added that China has always encouraged relevant parties to address "the core and root causes" of tensions on the peninsula while maintaining dialogue and negotiations aimed at preserving regional peace and stability.

Guo also commented more broadly on the White House fact sheet, saying China has maintained a "consistent position" on issues including Iran and nuclear matters on the Korean Peninsula.

"We urge the United States to face the reasonable concerns of relevant parties and adhere to peaceful resolution through dialogue and consultation," he said.

According to diplomatic sources in Beijing, the White House said Saturday that Trump and Xi had reaffirmed the "shared goal" of North Korea's denuclearization during their summit talks.

Some analysts, however, described the statement as largely symbolic because the White House provided little additional detail and China did not explicitly endorse the wording publicly.

Beijing has historically supported denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in principle, but Chinese officials have recently become more cautious about publicly using the term itself.

In 2019, China, South Korea and Japan explicitly included "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" as a shared goal in a trilateral summit statement. But similar language was omitted from the joint outcome document issued after the three countries' summit in 2024.

China also reportedly removed language supporting Korean Peninsula denuclearization from a recent defense and arms control white paper, despite including such wording in an earlier 2005 version.

During Sunday's briefing, Guo referred only to "nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula" and avoided directly mentioning either "North Korea denuclearization" or "denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Analysts said the wording reflected Beijing's effort to avoid friction with Kim Jong Un while maintaining diplomatic flexibility with Washington.

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:26 PM.