Chinese envoy calls on US to create conditions for easing Korean Peninsula tensions

UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy on Monday urged the United States to abandon provoking bloc confrontations and create conditions for easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The current situation on the peninsula remains tense with growing antagonism and confrontation, which is not in the interest of any party, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council meeting.

Fu noted that China, as a close neighbor of the peninsula, hopes for peace and stability on the peninsula and does not wish to see any turbulence or even war and chaos there.

The envoy said the key to solving the disputes lies in the hands of the United States. However, the country, while claiming that it wants to uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and denuclearize the peninsula, has continued to increase the deployment of its strategic forces, strengthened the extended deterrence arrangement on the peninsula, and transferred tons of weapon-grade highly enriched uranium to non-nuclear weapon state under AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation framework, he said.

In particular, Fu said that the US-deployed land-based intermediate range missiles are offensive weapons, which, if deployed in close proximity, can easily lead to strategic miscalculation, significantly increase the sense of insecurity of regional countries, and heighten the risk of an arms race and military conflicts.

"These moves are tantamount to pushing the threat to the doorstep of China and other countries in the region, seriously jeopardizing regional security and upsetting the strategic security balance," he said, urging the United States to immediately cease these dangerous moves and withdraw and abandon relevant deployment.

"Only in this way, can the situation on the peninsula be eased and conditions created for the peaceful resolution of the crisis through dialogue," he noted.

The envoy also reiterated his call on all parties to bear in mind the overall peace and stability on the peninsula and the world at large, exercise calm and restraint, avoid intensifying and escalating tensions, and make joint efforts to de-escalate the situation as soon as possible.