China says lifting some U.N. sanctions on North Korea could help break deadlock

[webfact]

China says lifting some U.N. sanctions on North Korea could help break deadlock

By Michelle Nichols

 

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, speaks during a meeting of the UN Security Council at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - China and Russia are pushing the U.N. Security Council to lift some sanctions on North Korea to ease the country's humanitarian concerns and to "break the deadlock" in stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, China's U.N. ambassador said on Tuesday.

 

On Monday, China and Russia proposed the 15-member council lift a ban on North Korea exporting statues, seafood and textiles, and ease restrictions on infrastructure projects and North Koreans working overseas, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters.

 

"With regard to the sanctions, that's also something DPRK has concerns (with) and their concerns are legitimate," China's U.N. ambassador, Zhang Jun, told reporters, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

 

"If you want them to do something you need to accommodate their concerns. That's the logic behind China and Russia's initiative."

 

Asked when the draft resolution could be put to a vote, Zhang said: "Once we feel we have strong support then we will take further action."

 

Council diplomats met on Tuesday to discuss the draft text. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to pass.

 

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft posted on Twitter on Tuesday: "The @UN Security Council has and should always speak in unison on North Korea. We are willing to consider united action, but it must advance the commitments @POTUS Trump and Chairman Kim made in Singapore."

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump met for the first time in Singapore in June 2018 and have met twice more since, but no progress toward denuclearization has been made and Kim has given Trump until the end of 2019 to show flexibility.

 

North Korea's U.N. envoy declared this month, however, that denuclearization was off the table.

 

The United States, Britain and France have insisted that no U.N. sanctions should be lifted until North Korea takes concrete steps to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Pyongyang has been subject to U.N. sanctions because of those programs since 2006.

 

A U.S. State Department official said on Monday that now was not the time to consider lifting U.N. sanctions on North Korea as the country was "threatening to conduct an escalated provocation, refusing to meet to discuss denuclearization, and continuing to maintain and advance its prohibited weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs."

 

The sanctions on industries that Russia and China have proposed lifting earned North Korea hundreds of millions of dollars and were put in place in 2016 and 2017 to try to cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

 

"What we are going to do is not to further split the Security Council, but to pursue a united approach in obtaining peace and security there," Zhang said.

 

"The core goal is to send a constructive, positive message to the parties concerned that we do not want a deteriorated situation, we do not want a confrontation, we do encourage them to go forward instead," he said.

 

China hopes the Security Council can speak with one voice on the issue and reach consensus on the draft resolution, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing earlier on Tuesday.

 

Concerns were growing internationally that North Korea could resume nuclear or long-range missile testing - suspended since 2017 - because denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have stalled.

 

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Additional reporting by Tom Daly in Beijing; Editing by Stephen Coates and Peter Cooney)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-18

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

 

[Tug]

Imo I would like to see a 100%maritime blockade flood the country with unlocked phones so the N Koreans can see what’s possible with out Kim promise and keep the promise of help when THEY get rid of Kim and his spawn heck it worked with Germany and japan after ww2!

[jany123]

3 hours ago, Tug said:

Imo I would like to see a 100%maritime blockade flood the country with unlocked phones so the N Koreans can see what’s possible with out Kim promise and keep the promise of help when THEY get rid of Kim and his spawn heck it worked with Germany and japan after ww2!

What worked in Germany and Japan, post world war 2?

 

this post is referencing Russian and Chinese support for NK.... how would a maritime blockade stop them, and why would they accept a blockade in what they deem as their territorial waters?

 

Whos promise should they accept, given america is the obstructing force to Korean peace... the trumps? hell, they come with free Vaseline which is needed for the post promise poking.... maybe if he hadn’t already proven a willingness to take unilateral decisions on matters where other nations should have been consulted, but that horse has bolted

 

what is it with this penchant for inciting revolution in other countries? It keeps backfiring bigly on the world... to wit... Iran.

 

After seventy years, an olive branch is what’s needed. The house of Kim is no more despicable than the house of Saud.... the difference is in who gets paid by whom.

[zydeco]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump met for the first time in Singapore in June 2018 and have met twice more since, but no progress toward denuclearization has been made and Kim has given Trump until the end of 2019 to show flexibility.

Another Trump failure. Kim giving Trump deadlines, instead of the other way around.

[baboon]

5 hours ago, Tug said:

Imo I would like to see a 100%maritime blockade flood the country with unlocked phones so the N Koreans can see what’s possible with out Kim promise and keep the promise of help when THEY get rid of Kim and his spawn heck it worked with Germany and japan after ww2!

There are increasing numbers of phones, USB drives and DVDs being smuggled in all the time. The populace are more knowledgeable about the outside world than ever before, causing the authorities quite some concern.

[Eric Loh]

Another Trump foreign policy failure. The latest long range rockets were tested and launched at the Sahae Launching station which was Trump’s denuclearization high point with Kim in Singapore. What happen next was the embarrassing lovefest. Another foreign leader taking the mickey at the expense of Trump. 

 

[baboon]

14 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Another Trump foreign policy failure. The latest long range rockets were tested and launched at the Sahae Launching station which was Trump’s denuclearization high point with Kim in Singapore. What happen next was the embarrassing lovefest. Another foreign leader taking the mickey at the expense of Trump. 

 

I don't like Trump, but I fail to see how he has done any worse than his predecessors regarding US - DPRK relations, childish taunts aside.

[zydeco]

25 minutes ago, baboon said:

I don't like Trump, but I fail to see how he has done any worse than his predecessors regarding US - DPRK relations, childish taunts aside.

He has given legitimacy to a homicidal maniac. Trump has befriended Kim and tacitly supported him. Good words of friendship for Kim, Xi, Putin, Erdogan, all while ridiculing, taunting and insulting allies in democratic countries. Don't see anything wrong with this? Even fatal?

[baboon]

18 minutes ago, zydeco said:

He has given legitimacy to a homicidal maniac. Trump has befriended Kim and tacitly supported him. Good words of friendship for Kim, Xi, Putin, Erdogan, all while ridiculing, taunting and insulting allies in democratic countries. Don't see anything wrong with this? Even fatal?

Again; I don't like Trump one little bit and was speaking specifically about US - DPRK relations. Out and out hostility hasn't worked. War is unthinkable. Sanctions can be circumvented to a certain degree. Well why not at least try to meet and develop a personal rapport? If it doesn't work you haven't lost anything...

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, baboon said:

I don't like Trump, but I fail to see how he has done any worse than his predecessors regarding US - DPRK relations, childish taunts aside.

What I think Trump has done different from his predecessors is that he personalized the relationship with Kim. I feel that is dangerous approach due to his impulsiveness and his unilateral decision making often without consultation with anyone including military and intelligence staffs. This play into Kim’s hands that he can cajole Trump to get what he want regardless of state’s foreign policies. 
 

Evidence of this is showing up with Trump brushing aside the regime’s testing of shorter-range missiles in recent months, saying they did not violate his personal agreement with Kim (although they are in contravention of U.N. resolutions), Trump has inadvertently backed himself into a corner. 

 

[Tug]

4 hours ago, jany123 said:

What worked in Germany and Japan, post world war 2?

 

this post is referencing Russian and Chinese support for NK.... how would a maritime blockade stop them, and why would they accept a blockade in what they deem as their territorial waters?

 

Whos promise should they accept, given america is the obstructing force to Korean peace... the trumps? hell, they come with free Vaseline which is needed for the post promise poking.... maybe if he hadn’t already proven a willingness to take unilateral decisions on matters where other nations should have been consulted, but that horse has bolted

 

what is it with this penchant for inciting revolution in other countries? It keeps backfiring bigly on the world... to wit... Iran.

 

After seventy years, an olive branch is what’s needed. The house of Kim is no more despicable than the house of Saud.... the difference is in who gets paid by whom.

There are viable comparisons with n Korea and post ww2 Germany and japan especially japan all were and  1 still is under control of a cult like figure with help from the victors Germany and japan have made a glorious come back and are creative productive and good members of the world order their citizens have reasonably decent lives and opertunity I would love to see the same for n Korea and her people but they need to get rid of Kim anyway we can help short of war I personally support 

[Crazy Alex]

And naturally, leftists will cheer for the Communist Chinese.

9 hours ago, Tug said:

Imo I would like to see a 100%maritime blockade flood the country with unlocked phones so the N Koreans can see what’s possible with out Kim promise and keep the promise of help when THEY get rid of Kim and his spawn heck it worked with Germany and japan after ww2!

That's a wonderful idea in principle. But somehow, I doubt NoKo even has infrastructure to support mass mobile communications. And Kim Jong Un could easily shut down any mobile communications if your idea were implemented.

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

2 hours ago, baboon said:

Again; I don't like Trump one little bit and was speaking specifically about US - DPRK relations. Out and out hostility hasn't worked. War is unthinkable. Sanctions can be circumvented to a certain degree. Well why not at least try to meet and develop a personal rapport? If it doesn't work you haven't lost anything...

Some people's hatred of Trump trumps even the need to try any nonviolent approach at avoiding a nuclear catastrophe.  I find yours and Bernie Sanders take on this much more pragmatic than what the "experts" on CNN have been spoonfeeding the pliable masses the last couple of years.

All that being said I can't realistically picture Trump's approach working.

I'd like to see Trump suggest Xi sign a mutual defense treaty with NK if they give up nukes.  Might give a clue how serious Xi is about denuclearization.

 

[jany123]

43 minutes ago, Tug said:

There are viable comparisons with n Korea and post ww2 Germany and japan especially japan all were and  1 still is under control of a cult like figure with help from the victors Germany and japan have made a glorious come back and are creative productive and good members of the world order their citizens have reasonably decent lives and opertunity I would love to see the same for n Korea and her people but they need to get rid of Kim anyway we can help short of war I personally support 

Yer... your right. The US did a great job of rebuilding both Japan and Germany post World War Two.... but.... that was after unconditional surrenders following nearly six years of total war... war which crippled those countries and destroyed their infrastructure and economies.

 

the trump is attempting to cripple the NK economy, but that’s a far cry from the situation that either Germany or japan were in, with absolutely no friends of merit left in 1945.

 

Sanctions are simply not working, and in line with conventional wisdom, in that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, surely starting to use honey, now, might be what’s needed to marginalize Kim’s power whilst pushing the evils of democracy onto those reluctant commies.

 

[Eric Loh]

11 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

Some people's hatred of Trump trumps even the need to try any nonviolent approach at avoiding a nuclear catastrophe.  I find yours and Bernie Sanders take on this much more pragmatic than what the "experts" on CNN have been spoonfeeding the pliable masses the last couple of years.

All that being said I can't realistically picture Trump's approach working.

I'd like to see Trump suggest Xi sign a mutual defense treaty with NK if they give up nukes.  Might give a clue how serious Xi is about denuclearization.

 

China is fully aware of the risks of a neighboring country having nuclear capabilities. They know that being an ally doesn’t guarantee protection of this risk. However the difference is that China know realistically that its futile to denuclearize NK. In the history of nuclear arms, no country in the world which once acquire these weapons through its own quest have them up. China prefer the diplomacy approach in engaging NK as an ally not as an enemy. They learn to live with his nuclear neighbour. US is really not concern about NK nuclear capabilities as long as they stop the ICBM long range rockets from reaching them. They are not too eager to demand NK giving up their arsenal of short and medium missiles. This is Trump’s policy of taking care of themselves and he’ll with others. 

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

21 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

China is fully aware of the risks of a neighboring country having nuclear capabilities. They know that being an ally doesn’t guarantee protection of this risk. However the difference is that China know realistically that its futile to denuclearize NK. In the history of nuclear arms, no country in the world which once acquire these weapons through its own quest have them up. China prefer the diplomacy approach in engaging NK as an ally not as an enemy. They learn to live with his nuclear neighbour. US is really not concern about NK nuclear capabilities as long as they stop the ICBM long range rockets from reaching them. They are not too eager to demand NK giving up their arsenal of short and medium missiles. This is Trump’s policy of taking care of themselves and he’ll with others. 

If China has accepted NK as a nuclear power why are they attempting to influence the talks?  Why don't they come out and state their position?  Maybe because they don't want NK to get nukes and still think there is a possibility it could be prevented?

[Traubert]

16 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

If China has accepted NK as a nuclear power why are they attempting to influence the talks?  Why don't they come out and state their position?  Maybe because they don't want NK to get nukes and still think there is a possibility it could be prevented?

China has a policy of non-interference in other countries. They do however have a policy of Asian unity.

 

What really needs to happen is Korea re-united but it won't happen in any of our lifetimes unless America pulls out of S Korea totally and takes their toys home.  That's the elephant in the room.

[skytrooper70]

China and Russia express concern about NK's humanitarian disaster, yet, didn't both of them veto a recent UN Security Council Resolution to permit relief aid convoys to enter Syria and relieve that humanitarian crisis? So, do we have the makings of a "quid pro quo," in the works? If China/Russia agree to the Syrian aid convoys, then, the rest of the UNSecCo will agree to relieve some of the NK trade restrictions. 

[Eric Loh]

On 12/20/2019 at 7:25 AM, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

If China has accepted NK as a nuclear power why are they attempting to influence the talks?  Why don't they come out and state their position?  Maybe because they don't want NK to get nukes and still think there is a possibility it could be prevented?

True that China had worked with US on North Korea denuclearization in the past. Those times China together with few North Asia countries and US were collectively involved in demanding denuclearization. That was the period China and NK relationship was frosty. However China has since rebuild the relationship and decided to live with their misbehaving neighbour. Denuclearization for NK will never happen as it worked well for their leveraging and bargaining positions. China perhaps realized that Trump is only interested in preventing long range mistakes development that can reach US. Short and medium range is not to Trump interest. Leaving China and other North Asian countries that can be impacted by NK rocket development in the negotiation are politics that annoy China.