China blames US policy for tensions between South and North Korea

BEIJING - China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged South Korea not to take sides between Beijing and Washington, saying the U.S. should abandon its "hostile" policy toward North Korea to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Wang made the remarks in a meeting with South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac in Seoul on Thursday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, where he also met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

"The fundamental solution to the tensions on the Korean Peninsula lies in addressing the root causes of the problem and urging the United States to abandon its hostile policy toward North Korea," Xinhua cited Wang as saying.

China hopes South Korea will "achieve genuine strategic autonomy, refrain from bloc confrontation and taking sides, and develop relations with major powers including China and the United States in parallel and without contradiction," Wang said.

The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, adding that the Asian nation held 57 "very powerful" nuclear weapons.

Trump had also ordered Pentagon officials to cut short joint military exercises with South Korea, citing his "very good relationship" with Kim.

The U.S. has maintained its official stance demanding North Korea to denuclearise, which Pyongyang has consistently rejected.

North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile towards the sea on Thursday, Japan's government and coastguard said.

"China would be glad to see the peninsula move toward peaceful coexistence between South Korea and North Korea," Wang told Wi, calling for a restart of dialogue and restoration of trust.

In separate talks with Lee, Wang urged Seoul to adhere to a friendly policy towards China, saying bilateral ties had "fully recovered" and made positive progress this year.

"A rational, pragmatic, and positive policy towards China is entirely in line with South Korea's interests and the trend of the times," he said.

Wang also called for an early completion of second-stage talks with South Korea for a free trade agreement, saying the two countries should promote regional economic integration amid intensifying fragmentation in the global economy and rising trade protectionism, Xinhua reported.

-Reporting by Liz Lee and Ethan Wang; Editing by Christian Schmollinger/Reuters