The Hill News

The White House on Thursday said South Korea's decision to restart defense talks with North Korea is in part a result of China's state visit.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Chinese President Hu Jintao's declaration Wednesday that China wants complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula paved the way for the South Koreans to re-engage.

The talks, which are low-level, are the first between the two countries since they neared military confrontation after a North Korean attack on a South Korean island in November.

Gibbs hailed the South Koreans' decision as a "positive step."

"I think some of that comes as a result of yesterday's meetings here," Gibbs said. "Clearly, conditions were created yesterday that showed the Republic of Korea that the U.S. and China were aligned in dealing with the aggressions of North Korea."