The Democratic People's Republic of Korea seems to have taken a U-turn from its belligerent rhetoric after the United Nations imposed sanctions on it for conducting its third nuclear test and launching a satellite.

Although earlier it had lashed out at the joint military drills between the United States and the Republic of Korea, on Sunday the DPRK proposed talks with the US. The US has responded by saying it is open to talks.

The other major development will be the strategic dialogue between China and the DPRK on Wednesday, to be followed later by trilateral talks among the ROK, Japan and the US on how to deal with the DPRK.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula appears to be changing for the better, and the related parties should seize this opportunity to end tensions in the region. China, in fact, has been making great efforts to restore order on the peninsula.

At a meeting with visiting DPRK special envoy Choe Ryong-hae on May 22, President Xi Jinping emphasized China's commitment to the denuclearization of the peninsula. Xi told Choe that the related countries - the DPRK, the ROK, China, the US, Japan and Russia - should resume the Six-Party Talks. The peninsula seems to have witnessed some positive changes since then.

On June 6, the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea proposed holding direct talks with the ROK, which was accepted by the ROK's Ministry of Unification. Three days later, the two sides held working-level talks at the Panmunjom border village.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula is changing for several reasons.

First, China made its stance on the peninsula issue clear and prevented the situation from escalating further. In his talks with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry on April 13, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: "China's stance on the Korean peninsula is consistent. No matter what happens, China will stick to denuclearization and peace on the peninsula and settling the issue through dialogue."

Though denuclearization of the peninsula is the basis of China-US cooperation, the two sides differ on how to reach that goal. For example, at the US-ROK talks the two sides agreed to exert more pressure on the DPRK to promote negotiations, which could have intensified the already simmering situation on the peninsula.

So China reiterated that its policy on the peninsula is clear: It is committed to restoring permanent peace, stability on, and denuclearization of the peninsula through dialogue and consultations.

Second, China has been sincerely working for a temporary as well as a permanent resolution to the issue. If it is important to resolutely implement the UN sanctions on the DPRK and restrict its nuclear development capabilities, it is equally important to eliminate the root causes of the DPRK-ROK conflict through the Six-Party Talks in order to denuclearize the peninsula.

Third, improving China-DPRK relations and increasing mutual communication are important ways of easing tensions on the peninsula. Since December 2012, China-DPRK relations have undergone a subtle change. This process enabled the two sides to arrange for Choe Ryong-hae's visit to China, where at his meeting with President Xi, he agreed to make efforts to restart the Six-Party Talks.

Fourth, the tough sanctions imposed on the DPRK after it conducted its third nuclear test in February prompted it to accept China's proposal to improve inter-Korean relations and hold direct talks with the ROK to end its isolation from the international community. Although the two Koreas still have many differences, the DPRK has given positive signals to ease tensions on the peninsula, which is a welcome change.

So what are the prospects of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula?

During their meeting on June 7 to 8, presidents Xi Jinping and Barack Obama agreed to push for the denuclearization of the peninsula. US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon said both leaders agreed that the DPRK had to abandon its nuclear program, that a nuclear-armed DPRK was not acceptable to either country and that China and the US would work together to deepen cooperation and dialogue to restore permanent peace on the peninsula.

The DPRK nuclear issue could become a new starting point for Beijing and Washington to improve their strategic mutual trust. Such an agreement between Beijing and Washington could impel Pyongyang to abandon the ambition of becoming a nuclear power and make diplomatic efforts to show it is moving toward denuclearization.

ROK President Park Geun-hye will visit China later this month for her first meeting with President Xi. And the DPRK nuclear issue is likely to be high on the agenda of that meeting.

The future course of the DPRK depends on whether China, the US and the ROK can agree on how to resolve the peninsula nuclear issue through dialogue and consultations. If the US and the ROK keep insisting on putting excessive pressure on the DPRK to bring it back to the negotiating table, they could evoke the opposite reaction from Pyongyang.

It is time the relevant parties held talks to decide how to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. And now that the DPRK is willing to talk, the other parties should seize the opportunity and create the conditions for an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks, so that they can push for an early turnaround of the situation and restore permanent peace and stability on the peninsula.

The author is a professor in international studies in Jilin University.

(China Daily USA 06/19/2013 page11)