NAN-F-23
Relationship
Beijing, Aug. 8, 2017 (Reuters/NAN) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said that China will pay the biggest price from the new UN sanctions against North Korea due to its close economic relationship with the country.
Wang said in a statement issued by the foreign ministry after a regional security forum in Manila that the country will always enforce all resolutions.
The UN Security Council had on Saturday, unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea that could slash its three billion dollars annual export revenue by a third.
“The new resolution showed China and the international community’s opposition to North Korea’s continued missile tests.
“Owing to China’s traditional economic ties with North Korea, it will mainly be China paying the price for implementing the resolution.
“In order to protect the international non-proliferation system and regional peace and stability, China will as before fully and strictly properly implement the entire contents of the relevant resolution,” Wang said.
China has repeatedly said it is committed to enforcing increasingly tough UN resolutions on North Korea, though it has also said what it terms “normal” trade and ordinary North Koreans should not be affected.
The latest UN resolution bans North Korean exports of coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood.
It also prohibits countries from increasing the numbers of North Korean laborers currently working abroad, bans new joint ventures with North Korea and any new investment in current joint ventures.
“Apart from the new sanctions, the resolution also made clear that the six party talks process, a stalled dialogue mechanism with North Korea that also includes Russia and Japan, should be restarted.
“China appreciated comments earlier this month by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the U.S. does not seek to topple the North Korean government and would like dialogue with Pyongyang at some point,’’ Wang said.
The U.S. does not seek regime change, the collapse of the regime, an accelerated reunification of the peninsula or an excuse to send the U.S. military into North Korea, Tillerson said.
Wang said that Tillerson’s “Four Nos” promise was a positive signal.
“China “hopes North Korea can echo this signal from the U.S.”
Speaking at the same forum, Tillerson held a door open for dialogue with North Korea saying “Washington was willing to talk to Pyongyang if it halted a series of recent missile test launches.’’
North Korea said the latest sanctions infringed its sovereignty and it was ready to give Washington a “severe lesson” with its strategic nuclear force in response to any U.S. military action.
The successful testing of two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July suggested the reclusive North was making technical progress, Japan’s annual Defence White Paper warned.
“Since 2016, when it forcibly implemented two nuclear tests and more than 20 ballistic missile launches, the security threats have entered a new stage,” Japanese Defence Ministry said in a document released on Tuesday.
“It is conceivable that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has already considerably advanced and it is possible that North Korea has already achieved the miniaturisation of nuclear weapons and has acquired nuclear warheads,” it said.
South Korea reiterated further resolutions against Pyongyang could follow if it did not pull back.
“North Korea should realise if it doesn’t stop its nuclear, missile provocations it will face even stronger pressure and sanctions.
“We warn North Korea not to test or misunderstand the will of the South Korea-U.S. alliance,” Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a regular news briefing. (Reuters/NAN)
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Edited by Celine-Damilola Oyewole/Sadiya Hamza