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China urges US to accomodate DPRK's 'security concerns'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-29 15:44

WASHINGTON: China on Tuesday urged the United States to accommodate "reasonable security concerns" of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) when it tries to work out a new package solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

China's Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya made the remarks at a press conference held at the conclusion of the two-day China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), which included discussions on the DPRK nuclear issue.

"We believe that in order to solve the DPRK nuclear issue, the United States has a very important role to play," Wang said. "We welcome the willingness of the United States to have direct talks with the DPRK."

As the United States considers ways to address the DPRK nuclear issue, "China believes that if the package solution that the US government is thinking about will accommodate reasonable security concerns of the DPRK, it will be attractive to the DPRK side," Wang said.

In the past six years, China and the United States have had good cooperation within the framework of the six-party talks, he said.

"Unfortunately, not long ago, the DPRK had its second nuclear test. Both China and the United States are firmly opposed to that."

On April 5, the DPRK announced a successful launch of a communications satellite. Eight days later, the UN Security Council adopted a presidential statement against the DPRK move.

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The DPRK then announced its withdrawal from the six-party talks. On May 25, the DPRK conducted a second nuclear test since 2006. The UN Security Council responded by unanimously adopting a resolution, imposing wider sanctions and demanding the country not to conduct any further nuclear test or any launch using ballistic missile technology.

The resolution also demanded that the DPRK immediately return to the six-party talks unconditionally. Wang said that during the S&ED, China and the United States had "thorough discussions on ways to realize a turnaround in the situation."

While both China and the United States believe that the resolution should be seriously implemented, they also believe that from a long-term perspective, negotiation is the only way to find a final solution to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said.

He stressed that the resolution made it "very clear" that sanctions imposed on the DPRK should not undermine people's life in that country or humanitarian cause. "In implementing Security Council resolutions, we have to be both serious and very responsible," he said.

"We need adequate evidence in carrying out sanctions." Resolution 1874 calls on all states to inspect all cargo to and from the DPRK if the state concerned has information that provides reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contains items banned by relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

"I believe China and the United States will further communicate and cooperate with each other with regards to the implementation of Security Council resolutions," Wang said. "At the same time, we should prevent situation in some parts of the area from spinning out of control because of inaccurate information."