UN Security Council should not fuel tensions on North Korea: China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Stressing dialogue is the “only way” to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula, China said the UN Security Council should “not fuel tensions" and “play a constructive role, rather than just exerting pressure.”

Ambassador Geng Shuang, China’s deputy chief of mission at the UN, also called on the US to take concrete steps to address “legitimate concerns” of North Korea amid Pyongyang’s repeated missile launches.

The UNSC discussions and deliberations should contribute to de-escalation, “not fuel tensions; promote the resumption of dialogue, not widen differences; forge unity, not create divisions,” Geng said.

Calling dialogue “the only right way” to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue, Geng said China calls on the US to “take concrete actions, show its sincerity and address the DPRK’s legitimate concerns, so as to create conditions for the early resumption of dialogue.”

DPRK or the Democratic Republic of North Korea is the official name of North Korea.

The UNSC meeting was called to discuss the latest missile launch by North Korea on Tuesday, which flew over Japan and fell into the East Sea.

It marked the first time that North Korea had fired a ballistic missile over the Japanese archipelago in five years.

Pyongyang fired two more missiles on Thursday morning after the US forces conducted separate military exercises with Japan and South Korea in response to the firing of a long-range ballistic missile by Pyongyang on Tuesday.

“At this critical moment, all parties concerned should exercise restraint, be cautious in words and actions, and avoid moves that may exacerbate tensions or lead to miscalculation, so as to prevent a spiral escalation of the situation on the peninsula,” Geng told the UNSC.

“On the DPRK issue, (the) UNSC should play a constructive role, rather than just exerting pressure,” the Chinese envoy noted.

On Saturday, North Korea also fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

North Korea's escalation of tensions is thought to be in response to a joint military drill by South Korea, the US, and Japan in the East Sea.

Pyongyang Thursday also condemned redeployment of a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in South Korean waters and called it "a serious threat to the stability of the situation on the Korean peninsula."

It accused the US of escalating the military tensions on the Korean peninsula.

On Wednesday, the South Korean military said that the US will redeploy its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the South Korean waters after North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile.

The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which left the peninsula after a joint naval drill by the US, South Korea, and Japan last week, will now return to the East Sea.

Tensions on the peninsula rose in 2020 when North Korea attacked and blew up the inter-Korean liaison office along the border. Seoul has threatened a strong response if Pyongyang "further worsens the situation."

However, tensions soared further last year when both Seoul and Pyongyang ramped up military drills to show off their might.