SEOUL - China and South Korea on Thursday reiterated their joint position of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, calling for efforts to create conditions for resumption of the stalled six-party talks.

In a joint statement issued during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to South Korea, the two countries agreed that denuclearizing and maintaining peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula are in the common interests of all countries involved in the six-party talks.

The two countries called on all relevant parties to solve the major issue through dialogue and negotiation, the statement said.

The statement also urged all relevant parties to unremittingly promote the process of the six-party talks. To achieve that end, all parties should respect one another, strengthen communication and coordination on both bilateral and multilateral levels, and address the concerns of all parties involved, it added.

The six-party talks, involving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, have been suspended since late 2008.

Seoul said in the statement that it wants to build mutual trust with the DPRK through the Korean Peninsula trust-building process, so as to boost the development of South Korea-DPRK relations and safeguard peace of the peninsula.

China spoke positively of South Korea's efforts to improve relations with the DPRK, according to the paper.

China supports South Korea and the DPRK to improve ties, and carry out reconciliation and cooperation via dialogue. It respects the will of the Korean people to realize peaceful reunification on the Korean Peninsula.

The Chinese president arrived here Thursday for a two-day state visit to South Korea, his first trip to the Asian neighbor since he took office last year.