SCIO briefing on 'China's Policies on Asia-Pacific Security Cooperation'

China Daily:

Minister Liu, what new measures will China take in regard to South China Sea cooperation as the situation in this area has calmed down?

Liu Zhenmin:

Stability, cooperation and development are the shared aspirations and the main appeal of the countries around the South China Sea. China will continue pushing forward with the establishment and improvement of bilateral maritime consultation mechanisms with relevant countries, exploring joint development in areas such as fishery, oil and gas, and encouraging relevant countries to actively engage in building a cooperation mechanism according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. We hope 2017 will become the year of cooperation in the South China Sea, and momentum of cooperation can start rolling. In the past few years, China and ASEAN countries have carried out some high-quality maritime pragmatic cooperation projects while implementing the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. We have also been actively pushing to establish three technical cooperation committees for "navigation safety and search and rescue," "maritime scientific research and environmental protection" and "fighting maritime transnational crime." Last September, the "Table-top Exercise of Search and Rescue among China and ASEAN Member States" was successfully held, and there will be a real official exercise with ships this year.

Next, China will continue promoting bilateral cooperation with relevant countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Malaysia. We will push for the establishment of the three technical cooperation committees already mentioned as early as possible, and will actively deepen cooperation in coast guard law enforcement, joint maritime search and rescue as well as ecological/environmental protection. According to the relevant international maritime affairs institutions, the South China Sea and Malacca Straits regions are areas frequently targeted by pirates and international maritime criminals. China's energy, resource, and trade heavily rely on the South China Sea. So, we will pay great attention to and will actively maintain the navigational safety, while actively strengthening cooperation with countries around the South China Sea.

Reuters:

I want to ask about North Korea. Many people think that the situation of North Korea will be one of the most serious security issues facing China and new Trump administration when he takes office. In fact, Trump and some of his newly-appointed officials including his pick of the Secretary of State (Rex Tillerson) are suggesting that they are gonna press China harder to take more actions against North Korea. So, my question is: How is China preparing for a more aggressive U.S. policy stance on the North Korea issue, and does China have its own leverage or its own way to prove to the United States that, in fact, it's doing all that it can? Thank you.

Liu Zhenmin:

The North Korea nuclear issue is an old issue. In the past years, as North Korea has staged more and more nuclear tests, the situation of the Korean Peninsula has attracted growing attention from various parties. In fact, in the progress of pushing for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the cooperation is always good, no matter whether it is between China and the U.S. or among the member countries of the UN Security Council. Insisting on the realization of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintaining peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, and solving problems through negotiations and dialogues, are China's adamant policies. China has put a great deal of effort into pushing forward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Although the Six-Party Talks stalled in recent years due to various reasons, the influence of the platform is still there. So, we do hope that, someday, the parties will agree to return to the Six-Party Talks.

China actively supports the UN Security Council's sanctions against North Korea because of its nuclear tests. As the Americans know, without China's support, the previous sanction resolutions could not have been approved. Why did China support them? We hope these sanction measures could gradually push North Korea back into the orbit of dialogue and negotiation, and back to the Six-Party Talks. Of course, the sanctions are not the goal. Sanctions are just a method. To eventually resolve the nuclear issue of North Korea, we have to go back to the table for dialogue. We specially appeal for an American-North Korean dialogue, because North Korea always believes the American-North Korean relationship makes great influence on the nuclear issue. The Chinese and American governments, all through the years, have worked very well with each other on the North Korea nuclear issue, and we hope we can continue the cooperation in this regard with the new American administration. Certainly, we also hope the new American administration will adopt a more positive and constructive stance regarding Korean Peninsula issues.