Both Washington and Beijing welcomed North and South Korea’s decision to restore hotline communications this week, despite bilateral tensions that have made it difficult for the U.S. and China countries to find common ground on North Korea issues.

South Korea’s Blue House made a surprise announcement on Tuesday that the two Koreas had reestablished communication channels following the exchange of letters between the two countries’ leaders beginning in April. The decision came around 13 months after the North claimed to “cut” inter-Korean hotlines in June 2020.