China Urges Restraint on North Korea... Cold Response to Proposal for Easing Sanctions on North Korea

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] China has urged North Korea to refrain from escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. This statement is interpreted as an awareness that North Korea's threat of a 'new strategic weapon' could become an obstacle to gaining support, especially as China and Russia have jointly submitted a UN resolution to ease sanctions on North Korea.

Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing on the 2nd that regarding Chairman Kim Jong-un's remark that North Korea will continue developing strategic weapons unless the US withdraws its hostile policy towards North Korea, "It is undesirable to take actions that escalate tensions in the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and do not help dialogue."

He added, "We hope that the relevant countries, especially both North Korea and the US, will adhere to dialogue and negotiations, walk face to face, actively seek ways to break the deadlock, and make substantial efforts for the political resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue." He also said, "Continuing the dialogue phase on the Korean Peninsula and promoting the political resolution process of the Korean Peninsula issue aligns with the common interests of the relevant countries."

China's mention that it is undesirable for North Korea to engage in actions that escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula is interpreted as an indirect expression of opposition to Chairman Kim's new strategic line.

In this regard, concerns are being raised within China that if tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalate again, China's position, which aims to play an active role in peace on the Korean Peninsula, could become difficult.

Zhang Lianguo, a professor at the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China, explained to Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP), "Since China has proposed easing sanctions on North Korea together with Russia, if North Korea's strategic weapon threats increase tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the positions of China and Russia could become difficult," adding, "Recent provocations by North Korea have greatly lowered the likelihood of success for the easing of economic sanctions on North Korea promoted by China and Russia."

China and Russia submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on the 16th of last month to lift and ease some sanctions on North Korea. The main contents include ▲lifting the ban on imports of North Korean sculptures, seafood, and textile products ▲abolishing the deadline for repatriation of North Korean workers (which was December 22 of last year) ▲excluding the inter-Korean railway connection project from North Korean sanctions.

For the resolution to be adopted, it requires the approval of at least 9 of the 15 permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council without any veto from the five permanent members: the US, UK, France, China, and Russia. The UN Security Council held a working-level informal meeting on the 30th of last month to discuss the draft 'resolution to ease sanctions on North Korea,' but the majority opposed it.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.