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China ready to step up efforts to rid Korean Peninsula of nukes

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China had a priority goal to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, as well as to avert chaos and war there

UNITED NATIONS, April 28. /TASS/. China plans to intensify steps aimed at ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons and it will also stay committed to all the resolutions of the UN Security Council concerning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday at a news conference at the UN headquarters.

He said the situation on the Korean Peninsula was very tough at the moment and it had reached a critical point, and in this light Beijing had agreed to step up the efforts towards denuclearizing the Koreas.

Wang also said China had a priority goal to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, as well as to avert chaos and war there.

When a reporter asked him if China was ready to impose unilateral sanctions on the DPRK in case of more nuclear tests, Wang said his country would continue fulfilling all the resolutions of the UN Security Council related to the DPRK, adding the Security Council would try at its Friday’s meeting to prevent possible conflicts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Fox News channel on Thursday Beijing had made known its prepared to subject the DPRK to new sanctions if the authorities of the latter held a new nuclear test. He said the Chinese government had informed Washington that Pyongyang had received a relevant warning.

The situation on the Korean peninsula deteriorated at the beginning of 2016 when Pyongyang held a nuclear test and launched a ballistic missile with a space satellite later on.

In September 2016, North Korea held one more nuclear test. The total number of missile launches last year reached 20.

Last Sunday, the country held an abortive launch, as the missile exploded after a few seconds into the flight.