Nuke-free peninsula remains leaders' goal

President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Sunday to stay committed to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and to make their communication and coordination closer.

They reached the consensus during their fourth meeting this year shortly after Putin arrived in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Sunday afternoon to attend the BRICS Summit.

The two leaders agreed on properly handling the latest situation, in which Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test earlier in the day, according to a release by the Foreign Ministry.