China sees sanctions that could have an impact on the livelihood of the North Korean people as the "red-line" that shouldn't be crossed, a researcher claimed Tuesday amid growing demand for much tougher punitive measures against the communist country's recent nuclear test.



In a forum held early in the day by Sejong Institute, a local think tank that conducts research related to diplomacy, unification and national security issues, Chung Jae-hung, one of its fellows, said that his claim is based on meetings and interviews with local experts in Beijing held in the wake of the North's fifth nuclear test conducted earlier this month.



"The red line for the Chinese government is that the North Korean regime shouldn't collapse and that the lives of its people shouldn't be seriously affected," he told the forum.



His claim comes as the United Nations Security Council is working on fresh sanctions to punish the North for its latest nuclear provocation.



Demand has been growing to fill the "loopholes" found in the Resolution 2270 adopted by the UNSC in March after the North's fourth nuclear test in January. That resolution, although the most stringent to date, has clauses that would allow Pyongyang to trade in certain cash-generating materials, if it helps people maintain everyday living conditions. Countries such as South Korea and the United States have stressed the need to address such loopholes.



Citing his sources in Beijing, he said that China will likely participate in such a resolution like the one in March that mainly zeroes in on transactions related to the North's programs of developing weapons of mass destruction.



With regard to a Chinese firm being jointly investigated by China and the United States for its alleged business involvement in transactions with the North, he said that Beijing has no choice but to join the probe when there is clear evidence of violation.



Earlier, the United States blacklisted Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Company Ltd. and its officials following recent revelations that the firm exported aluminum oxide, which can be used in enriching uranium, a nuclear bomb ingredient, to the North at least twice in recent years.



China, the closest ally to the North, has been regarded as a major player in enforcing sanctions imposed on Pyongyang in a way that its regime could feel the pinch strong enough to give up its persistent pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. (Yonhap)



