China's Communist Party says still talking to North Korean counterpart

Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee Guo Yezhou attends a news conference during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Beijing, China October 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party continues to hold talks and maintain contacts with its North Korean counterpart, a senior official said on Saturday, describing the two countries friendship as important for regional stability.

While the United States and its allies, and many people in China, believe Beijing should do more to rein in Pyongyang, the acceleration of North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities has coincided with a near-total breakdown of high-level diplomacy between the two.