China demands “flexibility” over US crackdown on US crackdowns Politics News

The Chinese ambassador has called on the United States to be more flexible in its dealings with North Korea, as Beijing has joined forces with the United States to suspend a joint Security Council statement condemning Pyongyang’s latest missile fire, diplomats said.

Washington proposed a statement denouncing the shootingbut China and Russia, along with other nations, refused to sign, diplomats told the AFP news agency on Friday.

“If they want to see any new progress, they should show more honesty and flexibility,” Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said of U.S. officials before a closed-door meeting called by Washington at the request of North Korea.

“A more attractive and practical, flexible approach and policy should be adapted to the concerns and concerns of the DPRK,” Zhang told reporters, using the initials of the official name of the North.

“What I see is that the key to solving this problem is already in the hands of the United States.”

Kim Jong Un’s regime conducted seven unprecedented weapons tests in January, including launching its most powerful missile since 2017, he said he could resume long-term tests and nuclear tests.

A Chinese official stated this As a result of former US President Donald Trump’s policy towards North KoreaPyongyang canceled nuclear tests and international ballistic missile launches.

However, in recent months, Zhang has lamented, “we have seen a vicious circle of confrontation, condemnation, punishment.”

China and Russia are blocking UN Security Council action on North Korea, and last year they proposed a resolution that would ease Pyongyang’s sanctions on humanitarian grounds, but the draft has not been put to the vote for lack of support.

“At least we are doing something to facilitate further improvement and prevent further tension,” Zhang said.

“Rewarding Bad Behavior”

After the meeting, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. envoy to the world body, said the Sino-Russian proposal would effectively reward sanctions in North Korea for what she called “bad behavior.”

“There is no reason for this Council to reward nine trials in a month and almost as many in previous years,” he told reporters.

“It shows that spending millions of dollars on starving your people doesn’t matter to their people.”

The third meeting on North Korea on Friday was the third in a month.

Finally, on January 20, eight members of the Council — Albania, Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Norway, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States — were released along with Japan. Joint statement condemning the northern tests.

The other seven members of the council – China, Gabon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico and Russia – refused to sign.

On Friday, those eight countries and Japan, again led by Washington, issued a new statement calling on North Korea to “call for an end to its destabilizing actions and a return to dialogue.”

“We continue to urge the DPRK to respond positively to the offers of the US and others to meet unconditionally in a positive manner,” he said.

The statement also called on other members of the Security Council to say that “the cost of the Council’s continued silence is too great”.

North Korea on Friday sent “warm congratulations” to China’s ally for the Beijing Winter Olympics, a message experts believe is likely to signal a halt to missile tests at a sporting event.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold three-way talks with South Korea and Japan in Hawaii on Feb. 12.