Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on January 17, 2018

Q: On January 16, Canada and the US gathered some of the UN Command sending states in Vancouver for a foreign ministers' meeting on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. The meeting called for the international community to continue its maximum pressure campaign against the DPRK. What is your comment?

A: China's position on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue remains unchanged. We are forever committed to achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula, and peacefully and properly resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation.

We have said many times that the nature of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is one of security. Only by addressing the legitimate security concerns of all parties in a balanced way through dialogue can we find an effective pathway towards the peaceful settlement of the Peninsula issue. To that end, China proposed the dual-track approach and suspension-for-suspension proposal. We see that the DPRK and the ROK are gradually resuming dialogues and contacts while the situation on the Korean Peninsula remains complicated and sensitive. All parties should cherish the hard-won momentum of easing tension on the Peninsula, supports efforts made by the DPRK and the ROK in improving ties, and double their commitment in alleviating the situation and promoting dialogues. Facts have proven that pressure and isolation alone is counterproductive.

We all know that the so-called UN Command, as a product of the Cold War era, has long lost its relevance. As initiators of the meeting, the US and Canada co-hosted the meeting under the banner of the so-called UN Command sending states. That is Cold War mentality pure and simple, and will only drive a wedge among the international community and undermine the concerted efforts to seek proper settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. When major parties to the Korean Peninsula issue are not present, such a meeting will not contribute to properly resolving the issue, as it shall be approached and addressed mainly through the framework of the Six-Party Talks and the UN Security Council. That is why, from the very beginning, the legality and representativeness of this meeting is extensively questioned by the international community.