President, 

Prior to the procedural vote, China had made clear its position, that is, we object the Council considering the DPRK human rights situation. We regret the result of the vote and the convening of this meeting.

At present, given the complex and delicate dynamics on the Peninsula, antagonism and confrontations among the parties have become more acute, sparking widespread concerns internationally. The priority at this moment is for all parties to stay calm, exercise restraint, and act and speak thoughtfully. They must refrain from provoking each other or saying or doing things that may escalate tensions. Concerted efforts are required to maintain peace and stability on the Peninsula.

Given the current situation, the Council should play a constructive role to ease the situation, help the parties enhance mutual trust, and promote dialogue among them. Pushing the Council to consider the DPRK human rights situation as a means to politicize and instrumentalize the human rights issue would only fuel the tensions and aggravate animosity. Such an approach does no good for the maintenance of peace and stability on the Peninsula.

If the United States and certain other countries genuinely care about peace and stability in the region, care about the DPRK human rights situation， and care about the welfare of the DPRK people, then they must take tangible actions to facilitate the resumption of dialogue, They must stop their provocative behavior and seek an early turnaround of the situation, they must adjust the sanctions measures, especially those in the humanitarian and livelihood areas, and in parallel, they must immediately lift unilateral, coercive measures that are detrimental to the DPRK humanitarian situation.

As a close neighbor of the Peninsula and a responsible major country, China stands ready to stay in close engagement with all parties to play a constructive part in advancing the political settlement of the Peninsula issue and achieving long-term peace and stability on the Peninsula at an early date.

I thank you, President.

Second Round of Remarks by Ambassador Geng Shuang at the UN Security Council Briefing on the DPRK Human Rights Issue

President,

It is necessary for me to respond to the statement made by the US representative. We’ve heard the US representative said that they are ready to have a dialogue with DPRK unconditionally. They emphasize that they are ready to maintain the peace and stability of the Peninsula and the overall solution to this issue. We have heard this rhetoric many times. But what is it doing actually? Politically, it is applying pressure consistently on the DPRK, including today's meeting. Militarily, it has had constant large scale and high intensity military exercises, including sending strategic weapons to the Peninsula. Economically, it has consistently conducted unilateral actions against the DPRK, which has aggravated the humanitarian situation in the DPRK. We hope that the US will stop saying something and doing something different. We hope it can really take concrete actions to reflect its political will and stop provocative actions. We hope that it can work together with China and others to contribute to the peace and stability of the Peninsula.

Thank you, President.