China says move toward DPRK dialogue needed

Beijing called on Monday for effectively implementing the UN Security Council's resolution on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and avoiding activities that might escalate tension on the peninsula.

Additionally, stronger efforts are needed to move toward dialogue, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news conference.

On Sunday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's media said the country had successfully test-fired a ballistic missile from a submarine, which the United Nations Security Council has banned.

The incident is the latest in a series of tests the DPRK has conducted since January that have increased tension on the peninsula. The UN Security Council "strongly condemned" the launch and said the test was "yet another serious violation" of five of its resolutions, according to a news release by the UN.

Hua said China "has been keeping close contact with various parties, including the US (over the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue). While implementing the UN Security Council's resolution comprehensively and faithfully, various parties should actively strengthen communication with each other and make constructive efforts to come back to the track of addressing the issue through dialogue and consultation."

On the other hand, Hua reiterated that the sanctions are "not a panacea" and cannot address the root of the issue.

Responding to the suggestion by US President Barack Obama that China should increase pressure on the DPRK, Hua said: "We have done what we should do to help address the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula."

Obama was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying in Germany on Sunday that the US has cultivated cooperation with China to put pressure on the DPRK, "although it is not where we would completely like it to be".

The DPRK has offered to impose a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing if the US suspends annual military drills with the Republic of Korea.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn