South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to support Seoul’s vision for the denuclearization of North Korea on Saturday, seeking to use Beijing’s close relationship with Pyongyang to kick-start inter-Korean dialogue.

Highlighting the recent surge in high-level exchanges between China and North Korea following Xi’s summit with Kim Jong Un in early September, Lee expressed hope that the renewed diplomacy would create “favorable conditions for engagement with Pyongyang.”

“I look forward to strengthening strategic communication between South Korea and China to utilize this opportunity for reopening dialogue with North Korea,” he added, according to the ROK