US responsible for Korean Peninsula tensions

This is an editorial from China Daily.

The Korean Peninsula issue should be resolved through talks and negotiations. This is China's consistent stand. Efforts should be made to facilitate such dialogue as that is the only way to avoid a military confrontation.

However, tensions and confrontations are rising on the peninsula. In response to the large-scale joint military exercises staged by the United States and some other countries, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has repeatedly launched long-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. This tit-for-tat game has become a vicious circle, which will have serious consequences if it gets out of control.

That explains why China's UN ambassador told the United Nations Security Council that China is concerned about the situation on the peninsula, and called for efforts from relevant countries to find a political solution rather than doing anything that might escalate tensions.

When the US and UK representatives questioned China's position on the Korean Peninsula issue, there is the question of whether both countries are in a position to do so. It is what the US has done that has led to the continued escalation of tensions on the peninsula.

Back in 2018, the DPRK took the positive initiative of giving up its nuclear weapons program in return for security. However, the US failed to respond with goodwill in accordance with the action-for-action principle, missing an important opportunity for achieving the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Since the start of this year, the US and various allies have staged an unprecedentedly large-scale joint military exercise on the peninsula and in its surrounding areas. The US also plans to expand the deployment of strategic weapons. This tactic of deterrence and pressure has further entrenched the DPRK's sense of insecurity, leading to elevated tensions in the region.

Just as China's UN ambassador said, the US is calling for the DPRK to renounce its nuclear weapons program under the banner of non-proliferation, when all the while it is in the process of transferring tons of weapons-grade enriched uranium to a non-nuclear-weapon state. This is a textbook case of a double standard.

The nuclear-powered submarine deal agreed by the US, the United Kingdom and Australia undermines the international non-proliferation regime. It will spur an arms race, and threatens regional peace and stability. The US' double standard on the question of nuclear proliferation is not conducive to the international community persuading the DPRK to abandon its nuclear weapons program and promoting denuclearization of the peninsula.

Washington's credibility is in tatters. Fulfilling its nonproliferation obligations in an earnest manner would help it to reestablish its reputation in the international community.

It will be very difficult to find a proper solution to the Korean Peninsula issue unless Washington takes seriously the legitimate security concerns of the DPRK and engages in dialogue and negotiations with sincerity.