Xi hopes US, DPRK meet halfway to advance peace

President says ties with Pyongyang will remain strong

President Xi Jinping said on Friday that he hopes Pyongyang and Washington will meet each other halfway and accommodate each other's legitimate concerns so there can be continuous progress in peninsula peace talks.

He made the remark while meeting with Ri Yong-ho, foreign minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.