Beijing vows to prevent peninsula 'war and chaos'

Beijing is calling for full implementation of the latest UN Security Council resolution regarding Pyongyang and said it will never allow war or chaos on the Korean Peninsula.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the remark on Sept 12 after the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2375 on Sept 11 in response to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's sixth nuclear test, conducted on Sept 3.

The resolution's measures include limiting oil supplies to the DPRK and banning the country's textile exports.

Also in the resolution, the Security Council called for "a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the situation" and a resumption of the Six-Party Talks. It underlined the need to "ensure lasting stability in Northeast Asia at large".

Geng voiced China's support for the resolution and took note of the resolution's call for peaceful solutions.

"China hopes the contents of resolution 2375 will be implemented in a comprehensive and complete manner," he said.

Geng reiterated China's commitment to denuclearization of the peninsula, upholding the peace and stability of the peninsula and resolving the peninsula's nuclear issue through dialogue and consultation.

He called for all parties to take effective measures to reduce tensions and resume talks. The DPRK should observe the Security Council's resolutions and stop nuclear and missile programs, while the United States and the Republic of Korea should avoid actions that will further complicate the situation, Geng said.

"The Korean Peninsula issue must be resolved peacefully. Military solutions will lead us nowhere, and China will by no means allow the peninsula to descend into war and chaos," Geng said.

He urged all parties to "give positive consideration" to China's proposals of "suspension for suspension" and the "dual-track approach", which he said are "practical and viable ways to address the Korean Peninsula issue". Geng also reiterated China's resolute opposition to the US deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in the ROK.

Huang Youfu, a researcher of Korean history and culture at Minzu University of China, says sanctions are not an end in themselves, and eventually the Korean Peninsula issue needs to be peacefully resolved through negotiation.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 09/15/2017 page14)