China welcomes close US-DPRK ties

China said on Thursday it welcomes close contact between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to further promote the denuclearization process in the Korean Peninsula and help set up a peace mechanism there.

China is very pleased to see the two sides strengthen consultation, express goodwill to each other and implement the consensus their leaders have reached in the Singapore summit that was held in June, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Lu made the remarks after the US announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Pyongyang from July 5 to 7.

The trip aims "to continue consultations and implement the forward progress" US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un made in Singapore, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement issued on Monday.

Lu said China has consistently upheld a dual-track approach, which means working to denuclearize the peninsula and set up a peace mechanism at the same time.

China hopes the US and the DPRK will work together and reach positive outcomes by maintaining such direct contacts, Lu said.