Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday told North Korea's foreign minister that he hoped North Korea and the United States could meet each other halfway and address each other's reasonable concerns, China's foreign ministry said.
China is the North's most important economic and diplomatic backer, despite anger over its neighbor's nuclear and missile programs. Ties have warmed in the last year as Pyongyang's relations with both Seoul and Washington have also improved.
At a landmark June summit in Singapore, the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to work toward denuclearization, but the pact was sketchy and talks since have made little headway.