Japan Times on April 2, 2018 disclosed that in a phone call on March 9 with U.S. President Donald Trump last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for setting up a new four-way security framework involving China, North Korea, South Korea and the United States to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula. The proposal included the idea of signing a peace treaty among the four countries, apparently to replace the armistice that halted, but technically never ended, the 1950-1953 Korean War, said the sources, who spoke late last month on condition of anonymity. During the conversation with US President Trump, Xi Jinping made no reference to Japan. His remarks could signal China’s willingness to lead negotiations on the nuclear issue after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s meetings with Moon and Trump. Japan Times added that while welcoming Trump’s plan to meet with Kim by the end of May, Xi Jinping said Beijing’s involvement in the denuclearization talks with Pyongyang is vital. Trump did not give a clear answer to Xi’s proposal.