China has called on all parties on the Korean peninsula to be restrained in their actions. This statement was made by the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the United Nations (UN) Zhang Jun on Thursday, October 21.
The reason for the statement was the recent missile launches by North Korea (DPRK).
"We are closely monitoring the development of the situation. <...> We call on all parties involved to remain calm and exercise restraint," he said at a briefing at the UN, live broadcast on the organization's website .
The head of the Chinese diplomatic mission noted that the situation on the peninsula is very difficult, and it will require diplomatic efforts to regulate it.
On October 19, North Korea confirmed the launch of a submarine SLBM towards the Sea of Japan. Kim Jong-un did not take part in the tests.
This test launch of the rocket was the eighth this year. The short-range ballistic missile covered 430-450 km, reaching a maximum altitude of 60 km.
The launch of North Korean shells on October 19 took place after the DPRK tested several new weapons systems in September. On September 15, Pyongyang launched two ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan, which fell in the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
Tokyo said it plans to strengthen the country's defensive capabilities, strongly condemning the launch of a ballistic missile by the DPRK. At the same time, the US military reported that there was no threat to the United States and allies due to missile launches.
The US military condemned the missile launches. Washington also stressed that the country's commitment to the protection of the Republic of Korea and Japan "remains unshakable." Later, high-ranking representatives of Washington and Tokyo held consultations.
On October 13, a representative of Pyongyang at a meeting of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly said that the country would not abuse its nuclear arsenal if there were no attempts by unfriendly states to use nuclear weapons against the republic. He added that North Korea complies with its obligations under the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
After the DPRK announced the creation of nuclear weapons in February 2005, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1718 in 2006, condemning this nuclear weapons test. By the decision of the UN Security Council, an embargo was imposed on the supply of materials, equipment and a number of weapons to the DPRK that could be used to develop the country's nuclear program. The last time the UN Security Council tightened sanctions against the DPRK's nuclear program was in 2017.
