FILE PHOTO: South Korea's President Moon Jae-in addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Monday that stalled denuclearization talks and a recent flare-up in tension between the United States and North Korea were not beneficial for Pyongyang, Moon’s office said.

During a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Moon said he hoped the two neighbors will cooperate more closely to help restart the negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Xi said he would “play a leading role” together with Moon to bring bilateral relations to a “new, higher level”, according to Moon’s office.