Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R back) and visiting Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar meet the press after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Monday called on all parties concerned to abide by relevant UN resolutions on the Korean Peninsula issue.
Wang made the remarks when meeting the press after talks with visiting Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar. He was asked to comment on the U.S. decision to consider imposing more sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after its recent missile test.
"After two months of relative quiet, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased again," Wang said. He added that it was a regret that the parties involved failed to seize on China's appeals.
"China has always been open-minded to new propositions to resolve the issue, however, the stipulations and spirit of UN Security Council resolutions should be a common principle for all parties to follow," Wang said, adding that UN Security Council resolutions represent the common will of the international community.
Wang said China has fully implemented relevant UN resolutions on the issue and opposed the nuclear and missile programs of the DPRK.
He said China firmly opposes actions to increase the tension on the Korean Peninsula and has always been working to promote peace and dialogue in accordance with all previous UN resolutions.
"Propositions and measures that are against or not included in the resolutions lack international legal support and will jeopardize the execution of UN resolutions," Wang said.
The Republic of Korea and the United States launched a large-scale joint aerial drill Monday. The Vigilant Ace drill will run until Friday.
"The situation on the Korean Peninsula is highly sensitive, and we hope that relevant parties can avoid provocation and do more to ease tension," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said later Monday.
