China, Russia Ask UNSC to Lift North Korean Sanctions

China and Russia proposed a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council to ease sanctions on North Korea, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said at a Dec. 17 press conference. China said it wants to denuclearize the Korean peninsula through continued negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea, which should result in the removal of sanctions. “Some sanctions should be lifted in light of [North Korea’s] compliance with relevant resolutions,” the spokesman said. “China hopes the Security Council members will … support the draft resolution proposed by China and Russia and jointly work for political settlement of the Peninsula issue.” Along with lifting sanctions, the proposal submitted by China and Russia calls for the removal of a ban on North Korean exports of statues, seafood and textiles, according to a Dec. 17 report from Reuters.