China says Security Council resolution should not stir confrontation

BEIJING -- China said on Friday that it supports the UN Security Council to make a "necessary response" to the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but the resolution should not stir confrontation.

The nuclear test went against UN resolutions as well as the denuclearization goal for the Korean Peninsula. The authority of the United Nations and the nuclear non-proliferation system should be maintained, said Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

China, as a permanent member of the Security Council, will conduct close communication and coordination with all parties within the Security Council, said Wang while answering questions in a press briefing after talks with visiting Head of Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Didier Burkhalter.

He said China knows parties have differences on the proposed new Security Council resolution, but the international community should make joint efforts towards a unified and clear direction.

"Instead of stirring confrontation, we should firmly advance the goal of denuclearization; instead of causing chaos on the peninsula, we should look for ways to maintain the long-term stability and security; instead of going towards the opposite directions, we should push all parties back to the six-party talks," Wang said.

The six-party talks were launched in 2003 with the aim of solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. The six-party talks include China, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan.

Wang added that China is not a major party in the conflict behind the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, but China, as a force for peace, will continue to play a constructive role for a proper solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Wang also urged all sides not to make emotional remarks and refrain from moves that may escalate the situation.

According to the Foreign Ministry website, China's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs Wu Dawei and Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong held talks with Hwang Joon-kook, ROK chief envoy for the six-party talks on Thursday.