Beijing on Monday called for North Korea and the U.S. to resolve the current diplomatic impasse by meeting each other “halfway”, adding the two sides need to establish a “peace regime.”

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the comments in response to a pointed question which accused Washington of having a “selfish and arrogant approach.”

“It is China’s consistent position that the Korean Peninsula issue can only be resolved peacefully through political dialogue,” Kang said.

“Steps must be taken in a phased and synchronized fashion as part of a package solution, starting with the easier tasks and advancing progressively.