S/2017/613 - Joint Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia on the Korean Peninsula Issues.

United Nations
Security Council

S/2017/613

Distr.: General
24 July 2017
Original: English

Letter dated 17 July 2017 from the representatives of China and the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

We have the honour to enclose herewith the joint statement by the Chinese and Russian Foreign Ministries on the Korean Peninsula issue, signed in Moscow on 4 July 2017 (see annex).

We should be grateful if the present letter and its annex could be circulated as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Liu Jieyi
Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China
to the United Nations

(Signed) Petr Iliichev
Charge d'affaires a.i. of the Russian Federation
to the United Nations

Annex to the letter dated 17 July 2017 from the representatives of China and the Russian Federation to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

[Original: Chinese and Russian]

Joint Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the Korean Peninsula Issues

The People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation both directly adjoin the Korean Peninsula and developments in the situation in that region affect the national interests of both countries. China and the Russian Federation will closely coordinate to spare no efforts to push forward package solution to the Korean Peninsula issues, including the nuclear issue, with the aim of achieving lasting peace and stability in North-East Asia. In a spirit of strategic coordination, the ministries of foreign affairs of the two countries (hereinafter referred to as "the Parties") make the following statement regarding the Korean Peninsula issues:

1. The Parties express grave concern on the ballistic missile launch announced by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 4 July 2017 and consider it a serious violation of the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. They find the missile launch unacceptable and strongly urge the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to comply strictly with the requirements of the Council's resolutions.

2. The Parties also express their grave concern about the developments in the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding region. The escalation of political and military tension in the region may trigger an armed conflict and demands a collective response from the international community for a peaceful settlement through dialogue and consultations. The Parties oppose any rhetoric or action likely to cause tension and aggravate antagonism and call on all the countries concerned to exercise restraint, to refrain from provocative actions and bellicose rhetoric, to demonstrate readiness to engage in dialogue without preconditions, and together to make active efforts aimed at de-escalating tension.

3. The Parties have put forward a joint initiative, based on the "suspension for suspension initiative", which is the suspension of nuclear and missile activities by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the suspension of massive military exercises by the United States of America and the Republic of Korea, and the "dual-track approach", which aims to promote parallel progress in denuclearization efforts and the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Peninsula proposed by China, together with the step-by-step conception by Russia to resolve the Korean Peninsula issue.

The Parties recommend that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea take a voluntary political decision to declare a moratorium on nuclear explosive tests and ballistic missile launch tests and that the United States of America and the Republic of Korea likewise suspend their large-scale joint military exercises. In parallel with this, the opposing parties should embark on negotiations and determine the overall principles underlying their mutual relations, including the non-use of force, non-aggression, peaceful coexistence and a willingness to pursue the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula with a view to finding a package solution to all the issues, including the nuclear issue. In the negotiating process, the parties should work in a mutually acceptable approach to promote the establishment of a peace and security mechanism for the Korean Peninsula and North-East Asia, ultimately leading to the normalization of relations among the countries concerned.

The Parties appeal to the international community to support the above-mentioned initiative to seek a realistic approach to solving the Korean Peninsula issues.

4. The Parties staunchly uphold the international non-proliferation regime and are firmly committed to the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council should be fully and comprehensively implemented. The Parties will work together with other concerned countries to continue their efforts, through dialogue and consultation, to find a balanced approach to address the concerns of all parties.

The Parties reiterate the need to respect the legitimate concerns of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Other countries should make due efforts to relaunch negotiations and together to foster an atmosphere of peace and mutual trust.

The Parties call on all concerned parties to abide by the commitments set forth in the Joint Statement made on 19 September 2005 and to restart the dialogue process at the earliest possible juncture with the aim of reaching a comprehensive settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue. Military means should not be an option for resolving the Korean Peninsula issue.

5. The Parties support the North and the South of the Korean Peninsula to carry out dialogue and consultation, display goodwill reciprocally, improve their relations and promote reconciliation and cooperation in order to play their due role in easing tension on the Korean Peninsula and finding an appropriate solution to the Korean Peninsula issues.

6. The Parties reaffirm the great importance that they attach to maintaining the international and regional balance and stability and stress that the alliances between the relevant countries should not be prejudicial to the interests of third parties. They oppose the enhancement of military deployment and presence in North-East Asia by forces outside the region on the pretext of countering the nuclear and missile programme of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The Parties reiterate that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) systems in North-East Asia seriously undermines strategic security interests of the countries of the region, including China and the Russian Federation, and will not contribute to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula nor to regional peace and stability.

China and the Russian Federation oppose the deployment of the THAAD systems and urge the countries concerned to stop and cancel their deployment forthwith, and have agreed to take necessary measures to safeguard the security interests of their two countries and also to ensure the regional strategic balance.

The present statement was signed in Moscow on 4 July 2017.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
People's Republic of China
Wang Yi (signed) Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Russian Federation
Sergey Lavrov (signed)

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24Jul17

Joint Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia on the Korean Peninsula Issues