The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said a test conducted on Sunday was for the development of a reconnaissance satellite system. The report by state news agency KCNA did not elaborate on what type of rocket had been used in the test, but Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said the missile flew about 300 kilometers at a maximum altitude of about 600 kilometers before landing off the DPRK's eastern coast.
The missile launch was the eighth this year, and only serves to add further uncertainty to the already complicated situation on the Korean Peninsula.
On Feb 1, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized a missile launch by the DPRK two days before saying that it "disregarded any consideration for the safety of international flights or shipping", and called on all relevant parties to "seek a peaceful diplomatic solution".
Thus Liu Xiaoming, China's representative on the Korean Peninsula, on Sunday urged all parties to "be cautious in words and actions and avoid provoking each other, so as to prevent escalation of tensions".
The situation on the Korean Peninsula has evolved to this unfortunate stage mostly because of the US' failure to address the DPRK's security and existential concerns. This has led to the protracted deadlock that serves no parties any good.
Liu said that he had spoken by phone with his US counterpart, Sung Kim, and urged the United States to address the DPRK's "legitimate and reasonable concerns with greater attention, so as to create conditions for restarting dialogue".
This indicates that despite their differences on many other issues, ranging from trade, Taiwan and the South China Sea, China and the US have still kept the channel open for communication on the Korean Peninsula denuclearization issue. This is encouraging, as dialogue will help break the "vicious circle" of confrontation, condemnation and sanctions over the DPRK nuclear and ballistic missile program, and facilitate direct dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, which is the only way to resolve the issue.
It is the issues between the US and the DPRK that are the core of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. The US side should take seriously the legitimate concerns of the DPRK and take substantive actions. The catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine shows how quickly a situation can deteriorate once it gets out of hand.
China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue by supporting direct dialogue between the US and the DPRK.