(VOVworld) - China says it supports direct talks between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

China says it supports direct talks between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program (reuters)

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei responded to a statement by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that he is ready hold talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un to persuade him to abandon his nuclear weapons program. This is a shift from the policy of President Barack Obama, who has focused on increasing sanctions against Pyongyang until the North shows, through actions, a genuine willingness to disarm.

In another development, South Korea's Ministry of Unification said this week it will not allow leaders of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to hold talks with North Korea on the possibility of organizing friendly soccer matches.