China voiced opposition to the latest missile launch by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and urged all parties involved to shoulder their responsibility to solve the Korean Peninsula issue peacefully through dialogue.
On Sunday morning, the DPRK launched a missile that analysts said was meant to test the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. It is the first such launch since Trump took office on January 20.
The DPRK's Korean Central News Agency said the missile was a Pukguksong-2, a Korean-style, new type of strategic weapons system that can be equipped "with a nuclear warhead".
"China opposes the DPRK violating United Nations Security Council resolutions and conducting the missile launch," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference in Beijing on Monday.
Geng said that China, which is "following closely" how things develop, will attend a UN Security Council consultation over the launch "in the spirit of being responsible and constructive".
The United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea requested urgent UN Security Council consultations.
Geng reiterated that the root cause of the issue of the DPRK's nuclear and missile development lies in the differences the DPRK has with the U.S. and the ROK. He said that China is willing to work with those countries, including the U.S., to solve the issue.
China has been working to promote talks between parties involved, Geng said, adding that "dialogue and consultation is the final way out for solving the issue of the Korean Peninsula".
"We hope all parties can take up their own responsibilities and do what they should do," he said.
Huang Youfu, an expert in Korean studies at Minzu University of China, said the Foreign Ministry's response shows China's consistent position regarding the issue.
Huang said China believes that the DPRK should follow UN Security Council resolutions, while parties involved should not consider the launch an excuse to complicate the situation or heighten tension in the peninsula.
Pointing out that "the main parties of dialogue" are the U.S. and the DPRK, Huang said: "It's crucial that the DPRK stops its nuclear and missile development, in the first place. On the other hand, the U.S. and the ROK shouldn't keep on resorting to military pressure, which could force the DPRK to go against UN resolutions."
