WASHINGTON D. C., United States (CCTV/Reuters) — Important progress has been made in talks on a UN resolution on the nuclear issue of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.
Wang made the statement at a joint press briefing after he met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington, D.C.
Wang said China does not accept the DPRK’s nuclear missile program and does not recognize the DPRK as a nuclear weapon state, in consideration of the international principle of nuclear non-proliferation.
He said the UN resolution is expected to be adopted in the coming days after all parties reach consensus. The top Chinese diplomat also emphasized that the resolution itself cannot solve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula fundamentally, and dialogues and negotiations are also needed.
“As the host of six-party talks, China certainly hopes to resume the six-party talks. As what I said last time, currently, for any of the hotspot issued across the world, we need to solve it through negotiation, and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is no exception. The resumption of peace talks needs the efforts of all parties. All parties should maintain the momentum of dialogue and meet each other halfway. We hope the opportunity to resume the peace talks can appear in the near future,” said wang.
When answering a reporter’s question at the joint press briefing, Kerry said the United States does not want to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system urgently but it is still under consultation.
“We are not hungry or anxious or looking for an opportunity to be able to deploy THAAD. The only reason for THAAD being in consultation, the decision is not yet being made, is not deployed. But the reason the consultation is taking place is because the provocative action of North Korea (DPRK),” he said.