UN sanctions alone cannot rein in DPRK’s ambitions: Opinion

China boasts the best record among all countries when it comes to the implementation of UN sanctions on the DPRK. For example, after the UN passed Resolution 2094 in the wake of the DPRK conducting the third nuclear test in 2013, China published a list of embargoed goods and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs pressured Pyongyang to meet the demands of the sanctions.

In fact, the US, Japan and the ROK lost patience and secretly sent representatives to the DPRK or established contacts with it through other channels to fulfill their goals.

The Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, to a certain extent, is the result of Pyongyang's misguided security policy, which is perhaps based on the outdated Cold War mentality. Also, continuing security pressure exerted by the US-ROK military alliance on the DPRK has heightened tensions on the peninsula. So, to settle the nuclear issue once and for all, the countries concerned have to not only help the DPRK correct its erroneous security policy by imposing sanctions, but also respond to its top security concerns.

This makes it necessary for the countries concerned to hold sincere talks. And since the Six-Party Talks have proven the most viable platform to resolve the nuclear issue, concerned countries should try to create favorable conditions for its revival.

In its efforts to create a positive environment for the talks, China has proposed the setting up of a peace mechanism aimed at gradually eliminating the remnants of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula. And because this constructive approach can help resolve the peninsula nuclear issue, it should be supported by all countries.

The author is an associate researcher at the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.