Beijing Hails Summit, Urges Full Denuclearisation

China on Tuesday praised the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for creating a "new history", calling for "full denuclearisation" to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The fact that the two leaders "can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, adding that the nuclear issue must be resolved through "full denuclearisation".

China, which provided a Boeing 747 that flew Kim from Pyongyang to Singapore, wants to ensure its interests are preserved in any negotiations, namely that they don't result in a unified Korea that is pro-American.

An editorial in the official English-language China Daily emphasized China's role in bringing Trump and Kim together. It called on them to maintain the positive momentum.

"This would not only reward all those who have spared no efforts in their attempts to make their meeting a reality, it would also enable both to hail it as a success," the editorial read in part.

Hu Xijin, the editor of Global Times, said that he was "truly happy for this moment." He dismissed as cynical those Chinese internet users who asked if Beijing had been marginalised in these talks.

"I think these people really grew up in negative energy," he wrote on his Sina Weibo. "They should see how all the major media outlets around the world are commenting that China's role in solving the denuclearisation question is irreplaceable."

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and Malaysia were among those hailed the summit.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he "could hardly sleep last night" in anticipation of the meeting and expressed hope for "complete denuclearisation and peace".

New Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, on a visit to Tokyo, said "I hope that both parties will accept the fact that, in negotiation, both sides must be prepared to give in certain issues if they expect to reach a good conclusion."

At a train station in Seoul, the South Korean capital, people cheered and applauded as televisions screens broadcast the Trump-Kim handshake live. (AFP, AP)