We hope this indicates an effort to negotiate in good faith: Britain on North Korea's nuclear move

Britain has welcomed North Korea's decision to cease nuclear tests calling it a positive step. The British government hoped that the move will translate into a sign of good faith.

"A long-term commitment from Kim Jung Un to halt all nuclear tests and ICBM launches would be a positive step. We hope this indicates an effort to negotiate in good faith," the British government said in a statement.

"We remain committed to working with our international partners to bring about our goal of a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and to do so through peaceful means," the statement read.

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North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said his country no longer needed to conduct nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile tests because it has completed its goal of developing nuclear weapons, state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

“To guarantee suspension of nuclear tests in a transparent manner, the republic’s northern nuclear test site will be abolished," the KCNA said after Kim convened this year`s first plenary session of the Central Committee of the ruling Worker`s Party on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government also welcomed its ally's move and hoped that the decision will ease tensions in the Korean peninsula.

"We hope that the DPRK will continue to achieve results in its economic development and improvement of people's living standards," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said.

(With inputs from Reuters)