A nuclear-free Korean Peninsula can only be achieved through peaceful negotiations, while any U.S. military action will threaten regional stability and give rise to mistrust among the countries involved, said a senior Chinese official.

The remark was made by Fu Ying, Chairwoman of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee, in her paper published by U.S. think tank the Brookings Institution on Apr. 30. Fu urged the U.S. to carefully calculate its moves, as any military option, whether big or small, carries the risk of causing huge civilian casualties and hard-to-control results.

The comment is only the most recent in a series of Chinese officials’ public statements regarding the denuclearization of the Peninsula. On Apr. 28, Wang Yi, Minister of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated China’s stance on the issue during a ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council, calling for all parties to fully implement DPRK-related Security Council resolutions.

In response to doubts of China’s incompetence or reluctance in addressing the crisis, Fu noted that China has been fulfilling its role as a mediator and a party to UN sanctions, adding that China cannot force either side to assume their respective responsibilities.

“Deep mistrust between the U.S. and the DPRK made it very hard for any consensus or agreement made during years of negotiations to be effectively implemented…without holding the key to the DPRK’s security concerns, China has no leverage to convince this foreign nation to stop its nuclear program,” said Fu.

In terms of the possible outcomes, Fu believes there are three possibilities. The DPRK’s regime can collapse, the vicious cycle of sanctions followed by nuclear and missile tests can continue till a tipping point is reached, or talks and serious negotiations can be restarted.

“Only through dialogue can mutual security be achieved. In this way, we may help wrestle the Korean Peninsula out of its current vicious cycle and prevent Northeast Asia from turning into a dark forest,” Fu concluded.