China calls for joint efforts, dialogue for peace on Korean peninsula

World Today

China calls for joint efforts, dialogue for peace on Korean peninsula

Twice in recent weeks, Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Kim Jong Un-leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They reached a consensus on achieving a political resolution to the peninsula nuclear issue. China played an important role in getting to this place.

CGTN’s Zheng Yibing reports.

“Back to the time of the six-party talks, China played an active part. Its basic standpoint was promoting dialogue, instead of confrontation. This has never changed although the six-party mechanism was hampered in recent years,” Professor Gao Hong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said.

To achieve peace, China now has made two proposals. One is called “suspension-for-suspension.” This involves the suspension of the DPRK’s nuclear and missile activities, and the suspension of joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea. Another proposal is “dual-track”. It calls for denuclearization, while establishing protocols to achieve peace and preserve it.

“The proposals play important roles to achieve peace through dialogues. And they have been recognized by the parties involved, including DPRK, ROK, Japan and the U.S.” said Rong Ying, Vice President of the China Institute of International Studies.

The U.S. took credit for the DPRK’s recent offer to denuclearize, announced in the Panmunjom. But Washington also vowed to maintain pressure on the DPRK until complete denuclearization is achieved. China said this hard-won situation needs a different approach.

“China calls on all parties to follow the dual-track approach, advance the political settlement process on the Peninsula issue, address all relevant parties’ legitimate concerns in a balanced manner, and jointly open up a future of lasting peace and stability for the Korean Peninsula,” Geng Shuang of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

From the six-party talks until now, China has been never wavered in its efforts to achieve peace. This is also seen in the trilateral leaders’ meeting in Tokyo, as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang joined hands with other regional leaders to keep momentum going in a positive direction.

As Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said, all parties involved should take the opportunity to maintain dialogue and improve ties to achieve long-term peace on the peninsula. China has vowed to continue playing a constructive role.