To avoid conflict, China calls on US to renew talks with North Korea

Situation in the Korean Peninsula and even broader Northeast Asia has recently become tense after recent missile tests by North Korea

By: PTI News Agency |
March 15, 2017 1:21 pm

China on Wednesday called on the US, South Korea and North Korea to return to talks to avoid conflict in the Korean Peninsula that could wreak havoc in the region. Premier Li Keqiang said in his annual press conference here that his country was committed to denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. He asked all parties to de-escalate tensions through dialogue and consultation.

“Tensions may lead to conflicts, which will bring harm to all parties involved…It is just a common sense that no one wants to see chaos at his doorstep,” Li said at the end of

China’s annual parliament season. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had proposed a “double suspension”, asking North Korea to suspend its nuclear programme while demanding the US and South Korea to stop military exercises to kick start a new round of talks.The issue is expected to come up during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Florida next month.Both countries said the preparations are underway for the summit. The US wants China to use its influence over its close ally North Korea to halt its provocative nuclear and missile programmes.

Situation in the Korean Peninsula and even broader Northeast Asia has recently become tense after recent missile tests by North Korea as well as the assassination of the Kim

Jong Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-nam was killed at Kuala Lumpur airport, using the deadly VX nerve agent, a chemical on a UN list of weapons of mass destruction. North Korea is suspected to be behind the murder.

Li said China hopes all parties make concerted efforts to de-escalate tensions and get back to the track of dialogue in order to find proper solutions. Apparently referring to recent move by Beijing to halt coal imports from North Korea, Li said Beijing has fully

complied with UN resolutions on the denuclearisation imposing a number of sanctions against Pyongyang for continuing to pursue the nuclear weapons programme.

“China is a staunch supporter of upholding the international nuclear non-proliferation regime,” Li said. Crisis escalated in Korean Peninsula as North Korea stepped the development of nuclear programme as well as the development of long range missile which can reach US despite UN sanctions.

Wang had also hit out at the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptor missiles in South Korea, saying it is obviously a “wrong choice harms China’s security.