SOUTH KOREA-CHINA SUMMIT

[Anchor Lead]

The anticipated G20 Summit has finally kicked off in Osaka, Japan. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who arrived in Osaka on Thursday, has held summit talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Now the meeting between the two leaders drew particular attention as Xi Jinping visted Pongyang and met with Kim Jong-un just a week ago. During his meeting yesterday, President Xi conveyed the North Korean leader's message regarding denuclearization talks to President Moon.

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Upon his arrival in Osaka for the G20 Summit, President Moon Jae-in held talks with his Chinese counterpart. Topping the agenda of the meeting was Xi Jinping's recent visit to Pyongyang.

[Soundbite] PRESIDENT MOON JAE-IN : "I appreciate this opportunity to hear personally from you, the results of your visit to North Korea."

[Soundbite] XI JINPING(CHINESE PRESIDENT) : "China will contribute to maintaining peace and stability in this region including the Korean Peninsula."

He said the North Korean leader wants denuclearization through dialogue. He also mentioned there is no change in Kim Jong-un's commitment to denuclearization through dialogue and that he wants to continue to search for a rational solution with patience. Xi added that Kim is willing to seek reconciliation with the South and that the atmosphere of dialogue on the Korean Peninsula will remain. Kim reportedly claimed Pyongyang is trying to achieve economic growth and that he would like to see external conditions improving soon. The North Korean leader also expressed hope that the sanctions against the regime will be eased.

[Soundbite] KO MIN-JUNG(CHEONG WA DAE SPOKESPERSON) : "President Moon believes the meeting between Xi and Kim as well as the exchange of personal letters between Pyongyang and Washington helped to strengthen momentum for North Korea-U.S. talks. He hopes that Pyongyang and Washington will resume talks soon."

The Chinese president expressed his support for a third Pyongyang-Washington summit, and urged the two sides to approach the negotiations with greater flexibility. Xi also brought up the issue of the U.S. missile defense system THAAD deployed in South Korea. President Moon responded by saying that solving the THAAD issue would require denuclearization. Experts say Kim's message conveyed through the Chinese president clearly indicates his willingness to continue dialogue. On Friday, President Moon will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to reiterate the importance of the resumption of Pyongyang-Washington negotiations.