North Korea Crisis; China and Russia Call for 'Calm' and 'Negotiation'

While the U.S. representative to the United Nations claims that North Korea 'wants war' and that the 'strongest possible sanctions' should be imposed against the country, China and Russia have called for 'maintaining calm' and finding a 'diplomatic solution' to the escalating crisis. Vasily Nebenzia, Russia's representative at the UN, stated that 'it is not an exaggeration to say that peace in the region [Korean Peninsula] is facing a serious test and the threat of tensions turning into a crisis is greater than ever.' Nebenzia condemned North Korea's nuclear test on Sunday, which was conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and demands, stating it 'deserves the strongest condemnation.' However, he also added that 'sanctions have not yielded results in solving the problem' and that negotiations should resume. The senior Russian diplomat at the UN urged the international community to 'not succumb to emotions and to approach this issue with calmness and balance.' Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, also stated on September 5 that 'for countries that are not in this region, it is very easy to use the word 'war.' However, countries that live in this region and coexist with [North Korea] must act much more wisely and in greater balance regarding this very serious problem that has caused our shared concerns.' These remarks appear to be a response to comments made by Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the UN, who had stated hours earlier that 'war is never something that America wants. We are not seeking it now. But our patience is not unlimited. We will defend our territory and our allies.' According to the American diplomat, her government 'considers any country that trades with North Korea as a country that is helping its dangerous nuclear intentions.' China and Russia, North Korea's main economic partners, are the only countries that share a land border with North Korea, aside from the military buffer zone with South Korea. The Chinese representative at the UN warned that 'every moment we speak, the situation on the peninsula worsens.' Liu Jieyi stated that 'the issue of the peninsula [Korea] must be resolved peacefully' and emphasized that his country 'will never allow chaos and war to break out on the peninsula.' Russia has supported China's proposal to stop North Korea's military and nuclear tests in exchange for halting U.S. and its allies' military drills in East Asia. This was a proposal that Pyongyang had previously suggested, which the Obama administration rejected. Meanwhile, at the end of July, South Korea had proposed to its northern neighbor to hold negotiations to reduce tensions and create opportunities for separated families due to the Korean War to meet. Pyongyang ignored that proposal. On Sunday, North Korea conducted a new nuclear test, which Pyongyang claims is related to a 'hydrogen bomb' with 'capability to be mounted' on its ballistic missiles. Although estimates indicate that the recent test was stronger than all previous tests, independent sources have not yet confirmed the bomb's capabilities for missile deployment.