(LEAD) China, Russia call on int’l community to drop sanctions against N. Korea: reports

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SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) — The leaders of China and Russia urged the international community Thursday to abandon sanctions and military pressure on North Korea and called for resolving related issues through diplomatic means, according to foreign media reports.

The call was made in a joint statement issued by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting held in Moscow earlier in the day.

“The two sides advocate for comprehensive promotion of complex settlement of the Korean Peninsula problems exclusively through political and diplomatic means,” the statement read, according to Sputnik.

China and Russia also “urge the respective states to abandon the policy of unilateral oppressive measures and forceful pressure on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as well as the policy of militarization of Northeast Asia and provoking confrontation there, to take practical steps aimed at de-escalation and elimination of the threat of armed incidents and large-scale military conflicts on the Korean Peninsula,” it said.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea’s official name.

Thursday’s statement aimed to further solidify their strategic partnership, with Putin telling reporters that relations between Russia and China “have reached the highest level in history.”

Amid stalled denuclearization talks with the United States, North Korea has been bolstering military ties with Russia, particularly after the North’s leader Kim Jong-un and Putin signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” in June 2024, which obligates both nations to provide immediate military assistance to each other in the event of war.

Pyongyang has since deployed troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, possibly in exchange for gaining advanced arms technologies from Moscow.

Relations between North Korea and China have experienced some fluctuations, as the two nations skipped major celebrations and high-level personnel exchanges last year when they marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

But Pyongyang appears to be trying to mend ties with China recently by seeking to resume group tours for Chinese travelers and restarting the construction of a bridge over the Amnok River on its side of the shared border, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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