April 28 (UPI) — China and Russia are cooperating closely on the issue of North Korea‘s nuclear weapons, and have been meeting ahead of a special session of the United Nations Security Council in New York on Friday.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov met with Beijing’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday, during a meeting of foreign secretaries of the Security Council, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
Wang told the Russian diplomat the “current situation on the Korean peninsula is dangerous enough to lose control,” Beijing said Friday.
China’s top diplomat said Beijing is in concurrence with Russia on the “twin measures” of not only stopping North Korea’s missile and nuclear provocations, but also bringing an end to U.S.-South Korea military exercises.
The foreign ministry added the two sides agreed to continue “close ties” and to fully implement any future U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
“While we take measures to stop North Korea’s process of developing nuclear weapons and missiles, we must strengthen our efforts as soon as possible to recover dialogue and negotiations,” the foreign ministry said, according to Yonhap.
Wang also met with former U.S. State Secretary Henry Kissinger to discuss U.S.-China relations and issues surrounding the Korean peninsula, according to Beijing.
Wang called for “mutually beneficial coexistence” between China and the United States during his meeting with Kissinger, the foreign ministry said.
On Friday, State Secretary Rex Tillerson proposed new sanctions on North Korea and other “painful” measures, during a special session of the Security Council, The Washington Post reported.
At the meeting, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said he was “alarmed by the risk of a military escalation in the region, including by miscalculation or misunderstanding,” following remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump that direct conflict is possible with North Korea.
