China calls for adjusting DPRK sanctions as U.S. indicates flexibility

China's UN ambassador, on Wednesday, called on the UN Security Council to make necessary adjustments to the sanctions measures on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

At a Security Council open meeting on the Korean Peninsula, China's Permanent Representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, said it is imperative for the Security Council to take action and invoke the reversible provisions in the DPRK-related resolutions, as soon as possible, in the light of the evolving situation on the peninsula.

It is also imperative to make necessary adjustments to the sanctions measures prescribed in those resolutions, especially in areas where the DPRK people's livelihood is at stake, he added.

Zhang said that it is the Security Council's important responsibility to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, and advance the denuclearization process.

The Security Council resolutions concerning the DPRK should be implemented in a comprehensive, complete, and accurate manner, he said, adding that sanctions are just a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Noting that at the present moment, there is a greater urgency for a political settlement of the peninsula issue, the Chinese envoy said advancing the denuclearization of the peninsula in parallel with creating a peace mechanism on the peninsula is the only realistic and feasible way to solve the peninsula issue politically.

The U.S. envoy to the UN said Washington is ready "to simultaneously take concrete steps" toward a deal, aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs.

"We remain ready to take actions in parallel, and to simultaneously take concrete steps towards this agreement. We are prepared to be flexible in how we approach this matter," U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said. "And we recognize the need for a balanced agreement that addresses the concerns of all parties."

But she added that the DPRK needed to make "the difficult, but bold decision" to work with the United States.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un has given U.S. President Donald Trump until the end of 2019 to show flexibility. However, DPRK's UN Ambassador Kim Song declared on Saturday that denuclearization was off the table.

Trump then warned that Kim risked losing "everything" if he resumes hostility and that the DPRK must denuclearize. Trump and Kim have met three times since June 2018, but no progress toward a deal has been made.

Craft said that the Security Council must be ready to "act accordingly" if Pyongyang follows through on its public hints that it could resume "serious provocations."

"In practical terms, this would mean that the DPRK could launch space vehicles using long-range ballistic missile technology, or that they could even test-launch intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are designed to attack the continental United States with nuclear weapons," Craft said.

Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said DPRK's nuclear and missile programs were "unacceptable" but that progress in talks could not be made when Pyongyang is "told to unequivocally agree to all conditions that are imposed for the promise of future benefits."

"It's impossible to agree on something without offering something in return," he said. "It's essential to have a road map of a step-by-step lifting of restrictions."

French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said the current situation "in no way justifies lifting the sanctions or using a lighter hand in their implementation." British UN Ambassador Karen Pierce echoed his remarks.