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China: Multilateral talks best way to deal with N Korea
December 15, 2016, 9:06 am

China says that South Korean and Japanese unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang and its leader Kim Jong-un will be counterproductive [Xinhua]

China says that South Korean and Japanese unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang and its leader Kim Jong-un will be counterproductive [Xinhua]


China says that any action or sanctions against North Korea should come within the framework of the United Nations and not extend beyond it.

During a diplomatic phone call China’s special envoy for the Korean peninsula Wu Dawei told Kenji Kanasugi, director-general of Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau at Japan’s foreign ministry, that Beijing always viewed multilateral talks and negotiations as a way forward to resolve North Korea’s ballistic missile issue.

Wu’s remarks came in response to initiatives by both Japan and South Korea to impose unilateral sanctions on the North outside the scope of the United Nations security Council which has itself passed a of resolutions condemning and enforcing sanctions on Pyongyang.

“The situation on the Korean peninsula is complex and sensitive. All sides should work hard together to maintain the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula,” Wu said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has long held that the focus of the UNSC must be on “denuclearization”.

In recent weeks, Japan and South Korea have moved closer in their approach to dealing with the threat from Pyongyang.

The two entered a military intelligence exchange pact in November; Tokyo will provide satellite imagery and intelligence about North Korea’s transporter erector launcher (TEL). In exchange, South Korea will supply Japan with highly classified information about the North’s missiles detected by long-range air search radar.

Under this accord, titled the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), Seoul and Tokyo will share intelligence on security in the region.

China says it fears such moves will aggravate tension with North Korea.

A Chinese foreign ministry statement previously said that it considered counterproductive any unilateral action based on one’s self-interest, which will not help resolve security concerns “but will only aggravate the tension, complicate the issue, and make the situation more difficult”.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies