China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun, who arrived in New York just several days ago, has signalled that the US will not be able to totally count on Beijing’s support for its North Korean policy, if it further presses China amid their trade row, Sputnik reports.
“We should also remind ourselves that if we want to cooperate, we have to demonstrate to your partner the spirit of cooperation. It will be hard to imagine that on the one hand you’re seeking the cooperation from your partner but on the other hand you’re hurting the interest of your partner", the diplomat noted, as cited by Bloomberg, a day after US President Donald Trump announced new 10% import tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.
China, which has historically been North Korea’s biggest trade partner, backed the US efforts to secure international sanctions against Pyongyang in 2017. But as the Chinese diplomat hinted, sanctions might be eased.
“What we’re trying to do is to be helpful in promoting peace and stability there and to promote denuclearisation. It’s also for that purpose that we think at the appropriate time, action should be taken to ease the sanctions, but we are still consulting with each other and we have not made any final decision", Zhang Jun said.
Commenting on the strained Sino-American trade relations, the ambassador noted: “If the US wishes to talk, then we will talk. If they want to fight, then we will fight". He insisted that China will never sacrifice its fundamental interests and an open international economy.
“We are not only fighting for China alone, we are also fighting for an open international economy, for free trade, for an open, non-discriminatory, and reliable multilateral trading system", he said.
