Chinese envoy stresses need for commitment to political solution to Korean Peninsula issue

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday stressed the need to stay committed to the right direction of political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said tension and confrontation have, once again, become prominent on the Korean Peninsula and the situation may further escalate.

This does not serve the interests of any party, nor is it something China wishes to see, he told the Security Council.

"We call on all relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, stay committed to the right direction of political settlement while refraining from any action that may further aggravate tension and cause miscalculation," Dai said.

To bring the Korean Peninsula issue out of its predicament, there is a need to first focus on the crux of the issue, which, in essence, is about security, he said.

Before the transition from the current armistice to a peace mechanism on the peninsula, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has long been facing enormous security pressure, challenges and threats, he said.

Since the beginning of this year, the United States and its allies have stepped up joint military activities around the peninsula, targeting the DPRK. Such moves are highly provocative to the DPRK and aggravate the sense of insecurity. Relevant countries should seriously reflect on the causality, he said.

Since the United States has repeatedly expressed its willingness to unconditionally engage in dialogue with the DPRK, Washington should take tangible steps to start and maintain a dialogue, said Dai.

To bring the Korean Peninsula issue out of its predicament, the Security Council should play a constructive role. Given that the current situation on the peninsula is highly sensitive and complex, the actions and discussions of the council should help ease the situation and enhance mutual trust, the envoy said.

Security Council resolutions on the DPRK are an integrated whole, which not only provides for sanctions against the DPRK but also clearly calls for the resumption of the six-party talks, de-escalation of tensions and the promotion of solutions through political means and dialogue. Exclusively pursuing and piling on sanctions will only lead to a dead end, said Dai.

To bring the Korean Peninsula issue out of its predicament, all parties should adopt the right approach to nonproliferation and avoid double standards, he said.

The United States and relevant countries have pushed for discussions on the DPRK nuclear issue while shirking their responsibilities by blatantly engaging in nuclear cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region that contravenes the purposes and objectives of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and will lead to the proliferation of weapons-grade nuclear materials, even by attempting to replicate nuclear sharing in the region, said Dai.

Are such acts not out-and-out nuclear proliferation? Such a selective approach to non-proliferation will not only cause a serious and negative impact on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but will also significantly exacerbate the risk of triggering military conflicts in the region, toward which the world should be highly vigilant, he said.

As a neighbor, China genuinely hopes for stability rather than chaos on the Korean Peninsula and does not wish to see the peninsula issue fall into a vicious cycle, Dai said.

China calls on all parties to remain cool-headed and show restraint, keep in mind the bigger picture of maintaining regional peace and stability, follow the dual-track approach and phased and synchronized principle and jointly facilitate the process of resolving the Korean Peninsula issue politically. China stands ready to play a constructive role, he said.