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China hopes UN will reach consensus on North Korea ahead of meeting

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang (file photo by AFP)

China says it hopes the United Nations Security Council will adopt a draft resolution on easing sanctions on North Korea.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing hoped that the Council would “speak with one voice in support of a political resolution” at a meeting that is set to be convened behind closed doors later on Tuesday.

“Dialog and contact should be restored as soon as possible to break the deadlock and to prevent the dialog process from derailing or even regressing,” Geng said.

On Monday, China and Russia proposed that the Security Council lift some UN sanctions on North Korea in order to encourage dialog between Pyongyang and Washington.

A US State Department official, however, dismissed the proposal, saying the Council should not be considering “premature sanctions relief.”

North Korea has been under multiple rounds of harsh sanctions by the United Nations and the US over its nuclear and missile programs.

In spite of those sanctions, Pyongyang has taken several unilateral steps as signs of goodwill in the course of diplomacy with the US since 2018.

The US, nevertheless, has failed to offer any concessions in return.

That has led to North Korea gradually losing interest in diplomacy with the US, which it says would be meaningless if Pyongyang is the only party taking action.

North Korea has set the end of the year as a deadline for the US to reverse course or forgo talks.

China has previously raised the alarm that it is “imperative” for the Security Council to lift some sanctions as that deadline has almost arrived.


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