By CGTN's Wu Guoxiu
China continues to carry out sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), even as trade between the two countries went up 37 percent in the first quarter of this year, China’s foreign ministry said Thursday.
"China hasn't imported coal from the DPRK since February 18. As for the trade volume between the two neighbors, there is nothing wrong with maintaining regular trade relations on the basis of the UN resolutions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters during a regular press briefing.
While China has been carrying out sanctions on the DPRK imposed under UN Security Council resolutions, it is also making consistent efforts towards the denuclearization and stability of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, Lu noted.
DPRK's Ryu Hong 2 cargo ship departs from China's Lianyungang on February 19, 2017. /CFP Photo
Following reports that the US might impose more economic sanctions on the DPRK, which might impact some Chinese banks that do business with the country, Lu Kang insisted that "sanctions are not the right solution.”
“We have learnt from past experiences that peaceful dialogue is the only solution to issues relating to the Korean Peninsula,” he said.
Lu Kang added China has always opposed the use of unilateral sanctions in solving international problems, especially when it might damage China's interests.
