File Photo: DPRK fires a missile

Recently, speculation that Chinese ships are illegally selling oil to DPRK vessels in violation of the UN Security Council sanctions ran rampant in the foreign media, although there was no solid evidence to back up the claim.

At a regular press conference on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying hit back at the speculation with eight questions to drive home the point that the conclusion is based on speculation and not facts.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying

Hua asked if the relevant media can specify which ship or ships were involved and if they are on the sanctions list, and questioned how such a conclusion was reached without any solid evidence that these ships violated the Security Council resolutions, adding that the media should consider the possibility that breaches can occur.

Hua said that China’s position remains clear. “The Chinese government has been comprehensively, accurately, faithfully and strictly implementing the Security Council’s DPRK-related resolutions,” Hua said, adding that China’s attitude toward the DPRK nuclear issue is “earnest and serious” and its measures and actions are “forceful and effective.”

“If there is solid evidence proving that there is on the Chinese side any violation of the Security Council resolutions, China will surely deal with it in accordance with laws and regulations, and not a single case of violation should get away with it,” Hua said.

The spokesperson also offered some advice for the media outlets that hyped up the speculation, saying that instead of obsessing over the Chinese ship, they should be asking whether their government has fully and comprehensively implemented all relevant Security Council resolutions concerning the DPRK.

All the DPRK-related Security Council resolutions call for the issue to be settled peacefully, diplomatically, and politically, and call on all parties to take measures to deescalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Hua pointed out. “Is every party concerned working hard to comprehensively implement the relevant Security Council resolutions in entirety?” she asked.

China wants to see the resolutions be implemented in whole, Hua noted, adding that curbing the DPRK’s nuclear and missile development programs is just one part, and that more positive and constructive efforts are needed to bring the tense situation back on the right track of peaceful settlement through dialogue and negotiation.