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Kim Jong-un, Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). (Photo = Yonhap News) |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] Beijing/Seoul, September 22, 2025 – Following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s declaration that “denuclearization is absolutely impossible,” China, Pyongyang’s closest ally, offered a measured response, calling for efforts by all parties to ease tensions and safeguard stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jakun, addressing a regular press briefing on September 22, stated: “China has taken note of recent developments on the Korean Peninsula. Safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula and advancing the political resolution process serve the common interests of all parties.”
Guo emphasized the need for involved countries to remain focused on the “core issues and root causes” of the peninsula crisis, urging stakeholders to “uphold the broader direction of a political solution and work toward easing tensions and maintaining regional peace and stability.”
By referring to “parties concerned” without naming specific countries, analysts noted that Beijing was implicitly broadening the scope of responsibility beyond North Korea, potentially pointing to South Korea and the United States as well.
China has consistently repeated its stance that efforts by all stakeholders are required whenever North Korea conducts missile provocations. In March 2024, Wang Yi, then head of the Chinese Communist Party’s Office of Foreign Affairs (and concurrently Foreign Minister), reaffirmed Beijing’s long-standing prescription of a “dual-track approach”—pursuing denuclearization and a U.S.-North Korea peace treaty in parallel—based on phased and reciprocal steps.
However, at the 9th Korea–China–Japan Trilateral Summit in Seoul two months later, the joint declaration notably omitted mention of “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” which had been a shared goal at the 2019 summit. Reports at the time suggested Beijing opposed its inclusion. The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied any policy shift, saying its “basic position on the Korean Peninsula issue remains unchanged,” though since then Beijing has largely avoided using the term “denuclearization” publicly.
On September 21, during a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un underscored that North Korea’s nuclear status is now enshrined in the constitution: “Let me state unequivocally that denuclearization is something that will never, ever happen.”
He added: “The world already knows what the United States does after disarming its adversaries of nuclear weapons. There will be no negotiations that trade away our nuclear deterrent for sanctions relief—never now, never in the future.”
While recalling “good memories” of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim suggested a conditional openness to dialogue: “If the United States abandons its delusion of denuclearization and instead pursues genuine peaceful coexistence with us based on reality, then we have no reason not to meet face-to-face.”
알파경제 Paul Lee 특파원(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
