China has called on the international community to remain committed to ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons by pursuing diplomatic dialogue with Pyongyang.

China's Premier Li Keqiang, in a speech before the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, said, in reference to the South China Sea dispute, that maritime conflicts should be resolved through bilateral talks.

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"We should remain committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and seek consultation and dialogue for a solution, so as to maintain the international nuclear non-proliferation regime," Li said.

International community

The Chinese Premier said Beijing has repeatedly called on the international community to return to multilateral talks to denuclearize North Korea despite the skeptic response of other world powers.

China, North Korea's main ally and biggest trade partner, was reportedly been angered by Kim Jong-un's fifth missile test on September 9, and is pushing for tougher UN sanctions on Pyongyang.

Li said China and the US have started discussions on a new UN resolution that would impose more sanctions on North Korea as a response to Pyongyang's latest nuclear test.

Chinese firm

Chinese and US authorities are currently investigating a Chinese firm for allegedly funding North Korea's nuclear program and financially aiding Kim Jong-un's regime.

The two countries have joined forces to track down Chinese firms involved in aiding Kim's nuclear program and doing business with the isolated nation.

On Tuesday, the two sides revealed that they are targeting Liaoning Hongxiang Industrial, a Chinese company reportedly owned by a Communist Party member.

Chinese police have started investigating Ma Xiaohong, owner of Hongxiang Industrial, for his alleged involvement in "serious economic crimes" in the course of his company's trading activities with the North.

High-ranking Chinese financial officials said they have frozen Ma's assets as well as those of her business associates and relatives who are believed to have also been offering financial support to North Korea.

Intervention

At the UN Assembly, Li reiterated China's position that territorial and maritime rights and interests should be peacefully settled through dialogues and negotiations without the intervention of outside countries.

"China also maintains that disputes concerning territory and maritime rights and interests should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation. We need to expand common ground while shelving differences," he said.

China recently slammed Japan for its recent announcement that it would join the US in patrolling the disputed South China Sea in freedom of navigation patrols. Tokyo also said it would participate in multilateral military exercises with regional navies.

Bargaining chip

Beijing has said Japan, which is not a party to the ongoing territorial row in the South China Sea, is using its participation in the joint patrols with the US as a bargaining chip to gain an advantage in its territorial spat with China over the Senkaku island in the East China Sea.

China has rival claims with several Southeast Asian countries to the strategic waterway. This has led to the escalation of tensions among the claimants in the region.

Political analysts said Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the pursuit of its territorial rights in the strategic waterway has strained its relations with the US and has made the region a potential flashpoint for conflict. 

TagsKorean peninsula, North Korea missile tests, multilateral talks, china