China said Wednesday that new US sanctions targeting Chinese firms linked to North Korea “will not help” cooperation with Beijing in the nuclear crisis.
The US Treasury Department Tuesday slapped punitive measures on a series of Chinese and Russian individuals and companies, accusing them of supporting North Korea’s nuclear program and trying to evade US sanctions.
“The US action will not help the solution of the problem as well as the mutual trust and cooperation with China,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing.
“We urge the US side to stop this wrongdoing and correct it,” she said.
At the same time, Hua said the “extremely tense” situation on the Korean Peninsula “has shown some signs of abating” thanks to the concerted efforts of various parties, though it “remains highly complex and sensitive”.
She made the remark hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled that talks with the North might be possible “in the near future”.
Trump later said in a speech that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was “starting to respect” the United States.
Hua renewed Beijing’s call for peace talks and for North Korea and the US to “exercise restraint”.
“We also noted that many country leaders also said the Korean peninsula issue should be peacefully resolved and the call for dialogue, peace and de-escalation, rather than confrontation, war and mutual provocation, represents the common voice of the international community.”
Source: AFP
