Beijing: Korean issue talks crucial

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula can be solved only through strengthened talks, analysts said, backing a senior Chinese diplomat’s call at the United Nations for “negotiated solutions”.

Liu Jieyi, China’s permanent representative to the UN, spoke at a news conference on Monday, marking the end of China’s rotating term in July in the presidency of the Security Council.

“Our objective is to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintain peace and stability on the peninsula and seek negotiated solutions through dialogue and consultations,” Liu said.

“China has been working very hard to try to initiate a negotiated solution of the issues of denuclearization, peace and stability,” he said. Liu said China is opposed to conflicts or wars on the peninsula.

China has called for the parties involved to seriously consider its proposed “suspension for suspension”, which suggests the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea suspend its nuclear and missile activities and the United States and the Republic of Korea suspend their large-scale military exercises, to ease tensions and resume negotiations.

Wang Junsheng, a researcher in Korean Peninsula studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the parties involved “cannot solve the nuclear issue in the peninsula by flexing the muscles at each other”, and urged them to adopt China’s proposal to create conditions for talks, which aim at setting up a peace mechanism.

The issue needs to be solved peacefully through talks, even though the talks may be “complicated”, because the consequences will be “unbearable” if military conflicts break out, Wang said.

The DPRK test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday, the second such test within a month. Two US bombers flew over the peninsula in response.

China has been working very hard to try to initiate a negotiated solution of the issues of denuclearization, peace and stability.” Liu Jieyi, China’s permanent representative to the UN