China committed to upholding peace, stability of Korean Peninsula: spokesperson

BEIJING -- China will continue to promote talks and push for the early realization of lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Republic of Korea (ROK) President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent remarks concerning "China's leverage" over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

According to reports, in a recent written interview with the AP, Yoon said that China "seems to have considerable leverage" over Pyongyang, and said "What really matters is whether Beijing will use its leverage, and if so, how much and in what way."

Mao said that as friendly neighbors, China and the DPRK enjoy long-standing friendly ties. The DPRK is a full UN member state and a sovereign and independent country.

"The close ties we have with the DPRK and the influence China has on the DPRK are two different things and cannot be lumped together," she said.

The spokesperson pointed out that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula does not serve anyone's interest, nor is it something that China wants to see.

"The process that started in 2018 to address the Korean Peninsula issues came to a standstill fundamentally because the United States has refused to respond to the denuclearization measures taken by the DPRK," Mao said, noting that neither has the United States taken the DPRK's legitimate concerns seriously or shown readiness to address these concerns.

She urged the US side to draw lessons, correct course, step up to its responsibility, stop heightening the pressure and sanctions, stop military deterrence, and take effective steps to resume meaningful dialogue.

China has faithfully implemented relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Those resolutions are not just about sanctions. They also underscore the importance of dialogue, said Mao.

"China believes in their full and balanced implementation and opposes selectively focusing on sanctions and ignoring the dialogue process," she said.

The spokesperson underscored that China is committed to upholding peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and advancing the process of settling the Korean Peninsula issues through dialogue.

"China will continue to actively uphold stability and promote talks and push for the early realization of lasting peace and security on the Peninsula. This serves the common interests of all parties," she added.