China warns US of war-mongering efforts on the Korean Peninsula
China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Joon, has criticized the United States for using the Korean Peninsula issue as a card for an “Indo-Pacific strategy” following the veto of a resolution against the test, IRNA reported Saturday. “Russia’s unilateral insistence on imposing sanctions will not only increase tensions in the region, but also cause humanitarian problems,” he said.
Experts believe that the US action is a continuation of the recent widespread manipulation of the country in the Indo-Pacific region, and the real goal of the US is to discredit China’s image as a responsible power.
The draft US resolution, which had the support of 13 UN Security Council member states, included a reduction in oil imports to North Korea and a ban on tobacco imports to that country.
On the other hand, Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US representative to the United Nations, said that Pyongyang ballistic missile tests are a threat to the security and peace of the international community, and that is why Washington is imposing more sanctions on North Korea.
During the Security Council vote, Zhang Joon called on all parties to exercise restraint and peace, and called on all countries to refrain from actions that could escalate tensions. He added that the United States should be blamed for the current situation in the region because it has been hypocritical and unreliable with North Korea over the past three decades since the end of the Cold War. In fact, US threats have been at the root of North Korea’s missile tests.
“Washington is not seeking to disarm North Korea, and it does not care about its nuclear program,” Lu Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula, told reporters. In fact, what matters to the United States is manipulating regional issues to protect its interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Chinese diplomat stressed that US President Joe Biden’s recent visit to Asian countries, aimed at discrediting China, has only increased regional tensions.
During the president’s visit to Asia last week and meeting with his South Korean counterpart, the two agreed on a series of measures, including renewing the deterrent and defense systems. On Wednesday, the two countries conducted a joint exercise by firing two missiles in response to three North Korean missile tests.