" When Branstad was receiving a Chinese trade delegation as Iowa governor in March, he remarked that he would like to be able to enjoy a bite of US beef at the US embassy in Beijing

The Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark arrives on Tuesday in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on an eight-day mission to deliver free medical services to 2,000 people in the West African nationThe visit marks the first time the ship has visited West Africa, Xinhua said

[Photo/Xinhua]The Chinese Navy's hospital ship Peace Ark is providing humanitarian medical services to the people of Sierra Leone during an ongoing port call in the West African nation, Chinese media reportedThe vessel arrived on Tuesday in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital and largest city, which is a major port on the Atlantic OceanA nurse from China draws blood as part of an examination of a boy on the Peace Ark on Sept 21,2017

Sierra Leone is the second destination for Peace Ark in its "Harmonious Mission 2017" tourMedical personnel began examining and treating local residents immediately, Xinhua News Agency reported

It carries a total of 115 doctors and nurses, most of them from the People Liberation Army's Naval Medical University and Navy General Hospital

Each day hundreds of Sierra Leone residents line up outside Peace Ark waiting for their turn to be diagnosed by Chinese doctors, the report said, noting that at least 2,000 residents would receive medical services during the ship's eight-day stay in FreetownIn return, the United States promised not to use nuclear weapons or conventional weapons to attack or invade the DPRK

In the statement, the DPRK reaffirmed its commitment to abandoning nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs"We believe if the parties concerned can adhere to those consensus, abide by the spirit of the joint statement and seek ways to address the reasonable concerns of concerned parties, we will find a way out," said the spokesperson

Lu said the parties concerned should learn from experience in reaching the agreement, which includes holding that the core of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is over security issues, the key lies with the United States and the DPRK, and concerns of all parties should be resolved in a balanced wayBEIJING -- China said Tuesday that the six-party talks are still an efficient platform to address the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue