China opposes DPRK missile launch, urges restraint

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China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Friday said that China opposes DPRK’s missile test, and finds it in violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution.

"Currently the situation on the Korean Peninsula is complex, sensitive and serious. All parties concerned should exercise restraint and avoid any act that may escalate tensions," Hua said.

Hua’s remarks came after DPRK fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang on Friday morning despite UNSC resolution restricting any such move. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also called on China and Russia to take direct action to put pressure on the DPRK.

Hua responded that the Chinese side faithfully and comprehensively implements relevant resolution of the Security Council. It has made enormous sacrifices to implement UNSC resolution. “Our sincerity could not be doubted,” she added.

Members of the UN Security Council vote at a UN Security Council meeting over DPRK's new sanctions on September 11, 2017 at the UN Headquarters in New York.

She also emphasized, Korean peninsula’s nuclear issue is the cause of conflict between the DPRK and the US, and the focal point of the contradiction is not China.

"China is not the driver behind the escalation of the tensions. China also does not hold the key to the Korean peninsula issue. The initiators of a trouble should end it," she explained.

The spokeswoman also pointed out that unjustly blaming others and shrug off responsibilities will not help resolve the issue.

UNSC's resolution including the latest Resolution 2375 represents collective position of all relevant parties to oppose the DPRK to develop nuclear and ballistic missiles. It also upholds the international non-proliferation regime and reaffirms the need to resolve the issue in a peaceful, diplomatic and political means.

She concluded that the priority now should be two-pronged. First, keep pressure on to prevent DPRK from developing nuclear and ballistic missile. Second, all parties should take concrete, effective and reasonable actions to create favorable conditions for the early resumption of peace talks, to resolve the nuclear stand-off in the peninsula.

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