China rejects military solution to Korean crisis

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China regards a military solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula as unacceptable, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.

All relevant parties, Wang said, should comprehensively and strictly implement the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

And he insisted that China has made more efforts than all other parties and borne the most costs on the Korean issue.

Wang made his remarks at the opening ceremony of the Symposium on International Development and China's Diplomacy in Beijing.

He said the current situation on the Korean Peninsula has been trapped in a "vicious circle" of showing off strength and confrontation, but future talks can be expected.

He suggested all parties involved seriously consider the "double suspension" that China has proposed as the next step to ease tensions and create the conditions and environment necessary to restart a dialogue.

That requires the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale US-Republic of Korea military exercises.

In reviewing the year's diplomatic achievements, Wang said 2017 opened a new chapter of Chinese diplomacy.

Belt & Road Initiative – A shared prosperity

The Belt and Road Initiative, a Chinese trade and infrastructure project, has been accepted by a growing number of countries and attracted more attention to facilitate future cooperation on economy and enhance diplomatic ties, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the Belt and Road Forum, at the Yanqi Lake International Conference Center, China, May 15. / Reuters Photo

The initiative meets the increasing demands of different countries to strengthen economic growth, and helps to integrate global resources to provide new solutions for challenges in economic development, sustainable growth and the further promotion of globalization, Wang said.

So far, China has signed cooperation agreements with 80 countries and organizations, conducted institutionalized capacity cooperation with more than 30 countries, and invested nearly 50 billion US dollars in countries along the route, creating 200,000 jobs.

Leading voice on global arena

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the Davos Economic Forum in early 2017 boosted confidence among international community in a world that is facing political uncertainties and economic downturn, Wang said.

During his time in Switzerland, President Xi paid a visit to the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, the first by a Chinese leader to an international multilateral organization.

Chinese Foreign Minister delivers remarks at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Symposium on International Development and China's Diplomacy in Beijing. / China News Service Photo

China is now a positive catalyst for the reformation of the global structure and is seeking to be an active member participating in global governance, Wang said.

Stabilizer of world powers

He stressed that China plays a key role in stabilizing relations with major countries in the world.

On the South China Sea, China has followed Chinese policy to maintain integrity and also shown the determination to resolve the issue as the country upholds its sovereignty, the foreign minister said.

Wang said China hopes to build friendship, maintain peace and deepen cooperation with neighboring countries along the coast of the South China Sea. It has actively promoted conversations and resumed dialogues with countries involved in the South China Sea issue.

A still image of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea taken from a video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft on May 21, 2015. /‍ Reuters Photo

Based on the code of conduct framework on the South China Sea, China looks forward to promoting consultation on the code and jointly maintaining the peace and stability of the area.

Deepening cooperation on regional security

Referring to a Chinese old saying "A far-off relative is not as helpful as a near neighbor," Wang said China seeks to deepen friendships and strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries on regional peacekeeping.

Chinese President Xi Jinping chose Vietnam and Laos as the first two stops to visit after the 19th CPC National Congress. These visits show the determination of China to build a community of shared destiny with neighboring countries.

BRICS: Unlock the second 'golden ten years'

This year also witnessed China starting the second decade of BRICS cooperation, said Wang.

The BRICS meetings in Xiamen introduced new ways of cooperation and facilitated dialogues between emerging-market countries and developing countries.

Delegates arrive prior to the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen, China. / Reuters Photo

The dialogues focused on achieving sustainable growth by 2030, and deepened cooperation in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia by building a new platform to further extend the influence of South-South Cooperation.

For 2018, Chinese Foreign Ministry will use the advantages of the organization and embassies to integrate resources, improve messaging systems, and to help China better connect to the world, vice versa.

(CGTN's Liu Hui and Zhao Hong contributed to the story.)