Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends an news conference at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), in Beijing, China, March 8, 2017. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday called for all parties involved in the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear and missile program to think “out of the box” to reach a resolution.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week suggested a “dual suspension” of U.S. and South Korean military drills and Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear tests, to seek talks instead.

However, the United States dismissed China’s suggestion of a “dual suspension”, saying “all options are on the table” to deal with North Korea.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said a serious lack of trust between the parties meant that a lasting, thorough resolution could only be achieved by tackling the concerns of all involved.

China hopes everyone can give serious consideration to its suggestions and respond constructively, Geng added.

“We hope the relevant parties can break through their thinking, think out of the box, and can take a pragmatic and reasonable attitude,” he told a daily news briefing.

“At the same time, China welcomes even better suggestions from the relevant parties on how to tackle the present difficulties on the peninsula, and we have an open attitude towards this.”

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China on his first trip to Asia next week and meet senior officials to discuss North Korea’s recent missile tests.