China hails Trump's offer to talk with Kim Jong-un

China welcomed the offer made by US President Donald Trump to meet the leader of North Korea "under the right circumstances".

In an interview on Monday, Donald Trump expressed his willingness to meet Kim Jong-un sometime in the future although White House press secretary Sean Spicer said later the conditions for such a meeting are not yet in place, Efe news reported.

"We have noted the recent remarks and positive signals conveyed in them. We also believe the US and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, as direct parties on the Korean nuclear issue, should make credible efforts at an early date and show good faith," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

That would help in the resumption of peace talks, according to the official, who called dialogue the only "realistic and viable way" at a time of escalated tensions in the region.

Trump's remarks came amid rising tensions with Pyongyang owing to its repeated missile and nuclear tests, to which Washington responded by sending a fleet led by the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to waters near North Korea.