United Nations, 4 Apr (ZXS) -- The UN Security Council held an open meeting on the DPRK nuclear issue on 17 April. Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, made two speeches at the meeting, expounding China's position on the DPRK nuclear issue and nuclear non-proliferation.
On the same day, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Asia-Pacific Affairs in the Middle East Kiali gave a briefing saying that the DPRK tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with solid fuel "Mars Cannon-13" on the 18th. Compared to liquid fuel, the use of solid fuel does not require refueling before launch, making the launch process faster. This is a flagrant violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions. He stressed that North Korea must take steps to resume dialogue, that the international community should reduce confrontational rhetoric to create space for a political solution, and that "diplomacy is the only way forward."
Zhang Jun said in his speech that the current situation on the Korean Peninsula continues to be tense and confrontation is escalating, and China is deeply concerned about this. Some members condemned other countries in harsh terms, as if the situation on the peninsula had nothing to do with them at this point. As a remnant of the Cold War, the Korean Peninsula issue has been delayed for decades, and its essence is a security issue. Since the armistice on the Korean Peninsula, a peace mechanism has not been established, and the DPRK has faced enormous security threats and existential pressures, and its legitimate concerns have not received sufficient attention and response for a long time. Recently, the United States has frequently held military exercises around the peninsula and dispatched nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, B-52 bombers and other strategic weapons, which has seriously aggravated North Korea's sense of insecurity, which is the main reason for the current tension on the peninsula.
Zhang Jun said that in the face of the new round of escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula, China calls on all relevant parties to remain calm and restraint, face up to the crux of the problem, adhere to the general direction of political settlement, and make joint efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Peninsula and maintain peace and stability on the Peninsula. He also stressed three points: first, to show goodwill and sincerity to each other, second, to return to the correct way to restart dialogue, and third, to grasp the correct way for the Security Council to play its role.
The DPRK and the United States reached a nuclear framework agreement in 1994, the six-party talks issued a joint statement on 2005.9 in 19, and the DPRK made unprecedented denuclearization measures in 2018 and 2019. However, due to the repeated policies of the US side, it has not responded in accordance with the principle of "action for action" and returned to the old path of sanctions and pressure, resulting in repeated missed opportunities to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue. The DPRK has become even more distrustful of the US side, and the dialogue has completely reached a stalemate. All parties should deeply reflect on the lessons of history and realize that only by releasing goodwill to each other can we accumulate the necessary mutual trust and create conditions for the realization of peace talks. In particular, the US side should face up to the crux of the problem, show a responsible attitude and take meaningful practical actions.
In his second speech, Zhang Jun pointed out on the cooperation between the United States, Britain and Australia on nuclear submarines: The essence of such cooperation is the unprecedented transfer of several tons of weapons-grade nuclear materials by nuclear-weapon States to non-nuclear-weapon countries, which is a naked act of nuclear proliferation. Non-nuclear-weapon States that receive weapons-grade nuclear materials are tantamount to crossing the "nuclear threshold" with one foot. Trilateral cooperation on nuclear submarines seriously violates the object and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and exposes the true features of the countries concerned in ignoring their own obligations and the concerns of the international community on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. Such actions cannot be said to be irrelevant to the situation on the Korean peninsula, and such acts of double standards would seriously undermine the efforts of the international community to uphold the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. (End)