Chinese FM says N. Korea's security concern not resolved yet, US holds key

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a news conference on the sidelines of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress on March 7, 2022, in Beijing Yonhap

The top Chinese diplomat said Monday North Korea's "reasonable" security concern remains unresolved and a resolution to its nuclear issue is up to the United States.

"North Korea's reasonable security concerns have not been fundamentally resolved," Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a press conference held on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing.

He said Beijing is taking note of Washington's statement that it has no "hostility" toward Pyongyang.

"Where the next stage will go depends much on how the U.S. does (going forward)," he said in response to Yonhap News Agency's question on the Korean Peninsula issue.

The key is whether Washington will take concrete action for a resolution to the problem or continue seeking to use it as a "geopolitical strategic card," he added.

Wang said North Korea has taken "positive actions" since 2018 as part of efforts to resume talks, but it hasn't received "adequate rewards" from the U.S., in an apparent reference to Pyongyang's self-imposed moratorium on tests of nuclear and longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The diplomat urged Washington to take actions to dispel the North's security concerns and build mutual trust with the regime to resolve problems on the peninsula.

"China will continue to play a constructive role and wants to make efforts to that end," he said.

On Seoul-Beijing ties, he said the two sides need to fully cooperate with each other, as they commemorate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

They are "friendly neighbors" that share long history, having proved to be partners for huge cooperation, not rivals, Wang said.

"I hope that China and South Korea will achieve joint development by reviving the tradition of friendship and deepening mutual cooperation on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations," he said.

(Yonhap)