China calls on US to stop sanctioning North Korea

"If the United States is sincerely concerned about the well-being of the North Korean people, then it should stop imposing sanctions and pressuring the DPRK. It should give due importance to the denuclearisation measures taken by Pyongyang, respond to the legitimate and fair concerns of the DPRK, and take measures to ease sanctions on North Korea," Zhao said during the briefing.

In October, Russia and China proposed a draft resolution aimed at lifting some sanctions on North Korea given that Pyongyang has taken steps toward denuclearisation and further negotiations.

The resolution expanded on a similar document proposed by the two countries in 2019 but was never put up for a vote due to opposition from Western members of the Security Council.

In mid-January North Korean leader Kim Jong Un instructed the government to revise trust-building policy towards the United States and voiced his intention to resume all previously halted activities, a reference to the self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missiles testing.

On Jan 13, North Korea launched a Hwasong-12 ballistic missile with a range of 4,500 kilometers, making it the longest-range missile tested by Pyongyang since 2017.

The launch was North Korea's seventh this year.