Mr. Chair,

Starting from this year, the situation in the Korean Peninsula has undergone constant tension. The Peninsula issue is in essence a political and security issue, rooted in the lingering remnants of the Cold War and the lack of peace mechanisms. The crux of the problem is the failure to give the deserved attention to the legitimate and reasonable concerns of the DPRK. The US verbally says it is willing to have an unconditional dialogue with the DPRK, but it actually continues to increase pressure on the DPRK, engages in "extended deterrence", continues to hold large-scale joint military exercises in the region, and keeps increasing the frequency of strategic weapons deployment. The negative impact of the above activities on the situation of the Peninsula is worrying.

Preventing a spiral escalation of the tension and maintaining peace and stability of the Peninsula are in the interests of all parties. China calls on all parties to keep calm and exercise restraint, face squarely the root cause of the issue, stick to the direction of political solution and resolve each party’s concerns in a balanced way through meaningful dialogue. The US shall truly shoulder its part of the responsibilities, abandon the practice of blindly imposing sanctions and exerting pressure, respond to the reasonable demands of the DPRK with practical actions as soon as possible, and create favorable conditions for the ease of tensions and resumption of dialogue as soon as possible.

As a close neighbor of the Peninsula and an important stakeholder in the Peninsula issue, China has always insisted on maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula, realizing denuclearization on the Peninsula, establishing a peace mechanism on the Peninsula, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation. China is willing to work with the parties concerned and the international community to jointly promote the process of political settlement of the Peninsula issue in an objective and impartial manner and in accordance with the “dual-track” approach and the principle of taking phased and synchronized actions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.