China said Friday it welcomes the inter-Korean summit and extends its congratulations.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang made the remarks in a statement.

The leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) held a successful summit today, and they reached important consensus and issued a joint declaration on improving inter-Korean relations, easing military tension on the Korean Peninsula and advancing the realization of denuclearization and long-term stability of the Peninsula, Lu said.

"The positive outcomes of the summit are conducive to promoting reconciliation and cooperation between the two sides, upholding peace and stability on the Peninsula and advancing the political settlement of the Peninsula issue," Lu said.

"China welcomes it and extends its congratulations," he said.

Noting that the DPRK and the ROK belong to the same nation, Lu said China always supports the two sides in building up mutual trust and improving their relations through dialogue and consultation.

This is in the interests of the two sides and the region, and in line with the shared aspiration of the international community, Lu said.

"We hope and believe that the DPRK and the ROK will follow through on the consensus reached between the two leaders at this summit and continue to advance reconciliation and cooperation," he said.

"We hope that the relevant parties will maintain the momentum for dialogue and work together to promote the denuclearization of the Peninsula and the political settlement of the Peninsula issue," Lu said.

China stands ready to continue to play its positive role to this end, he added.