Chinese envoy urges major countries' joint efforts to solve Peninsula issue

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said Friday that the resolution of the Korean Peninsula issue relies on strong relations among major nations and a stable regional environment.

"The final resolution of the Peninsula issue depends on sound interactions among the major countries and a good regional environment," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the United Nations Security Council.

"Looking back at the history of the Peninsula issue, it is not difficult to realize that diplomatic efforts on the Peninsula issue can be effective only if the major regional countries keep generally stable and cooperative relations," said the ambassador.

Geng said that in recent years, certain countries have used the Peninsula issue as a pretext to deliberately create tensions, incorporate the Peninsula into the Indo-Pacific strategy, strengthen alliances and partnerships, and significantly increase their military presence in the region, gravely jeopardizing the strategic security interests of the Peninsula and the neighboring countries.

"Such practices, fraught with a Cold War mentality, only work to provoke bloc confrontation and undermine mutual trust among parties, serve their own geopolitical interests, and go against the goal of maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula and advancing its denuclearization," said the envoy.

The ambassador said that dialogue and negotiation are the only right way to help the Peninsula out of its security conundrum. What's more, the Security Council should play a constructive role in easing tensions and promoting a political settlement.

"Regrettably, irrelevant countries have chosen to ignore the reasonable proposals of China, Russia and other countries, and are obsessed with the magical power of sanctions and pressurization," he said.

Geng said that last month, American strategic nuclear submarines, after a long hiatus for 40 years, showed up again on the Peninsula. And last week, the United States, as president of the Council, insisted on scheduling a meeting to consider the DPRK's human rights situation.

"In fact, as we speak, the U.S. and its allies' Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise is in full swing," he said.

Regarding China's position, Geng said that the country is ready to play a constructive role in finding a political solution to the Peninsula issue and in realizing enduring peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

"We are committed to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, to the denuclearization of the Peninsula, and to finding solutions through dialogue and consultation," he said.