China says negotiation, not force, is needed to solve DPRK situation

China said on Friday that the potential use of force over the issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) missile activity "does not resolve differences" and will only lead to bigger disasters, and that negotiation is the "sensible choice for all parties".

Speaking at a special session at the UN Security Council, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the international community must keep its commitment to denuclearization.No matter what happens, "we should never waiver in our commitment to this goal," he said.

China opposes the DPRK's research, development, and possession of nuclear weapons, and it urges the country to stop its missile development, Wang said. The DPRK needs to honor its denuclearization obligations, he said, and urged that all parties "demonstrate political wisdom" to work constructively toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Wang also stressed that dialogue is the best option for resolving the nuclear problem, adding that between 2003 and 2007 when all parties were engaged in negotiations, three joint documents were adopted and a joint statement from 2005 set the roadmap for the DPRK’s abandonment of all nuclear programs.

Since negotiations ended in 2008, the situation has "gradually gone out of control", with the DPRK accelerating its nuclear and missile development process and conducting multiple tests and launches, he said.

China pledged that it would implement UN sanctions on the DPRK, but Wang also said that "China is not the focal point of the problem on the peninsula" and that nuclear resolution "does not lie in the hands of the Chinese side".

As a neighbor to the Korean Peninsula, however, China has promoted a negotiated solution to the issue, expanding negotiations from a three-party dialogue to a six-party one, Wang said.

China supports a dual-track approach, including a proposal of "suspension for suspension", which calls for the suspension of nuclear and missile activities by the DPRK, and the suspension of military exercises by the US and South Korea. The proposal is designed to address the most pressing concerns of involved parties, but "they also help pave the way toward denuclearization", Wang said.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who chaired the council meeting, pressed for an increase in DPRK's financial isolation. He pushed for new sanctions on DPRK entities and individuals, saying that the US "will not hesitate to sanction third-party entities" that support the DPRK's illegal activities.

He also called for a suspension of diplomatic ties to the DPRK to prevent it from exploiting its diplomatic privileges to fund illicit nuclear activity.

"The US and China have held very productive exchanges on this issue, and we look forward to further actions that build on what China has already done," he said.

He said that the US "much prefers" a negotiated solution, but is committed to defending itself and its allies against DPRK aggression.

"This new pressure campaign will be swiftly implemented and painful to North Korean interest," he said.

amyhe@chinadailyusa.com