JOURNALIST:
There’s been repeated efforts to try and curb North Korea’s nuclear program, so far they’ve all failed. What makes you think the diplomatic option is going to work this time?
PRIME MINISTER:
The vital priority now is to ensure that the North Korean regime comes to its senses. Australia together with the global community utterly condemns the latest, reckless action by this dangerous regime - this dangerous rogue regime. Now, the UN sanctions, the enhanced UN economic sanctions will begin operation this week and China will be enforcing them.
But there will be more that needs to be done given the affront that North Korea has shown to China itself.
At the very time North Korea undertook this latest test, the most dangerous and most powerful it has ever done - of a thermonuclear device so we believe - the Chinese President was hosting a vitally important economic conference of the BRICS, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. This is an enormous, high-profile diplomatic priority of China. Kim Jong-un chose to affront China with this test.
China has the economic leverage to bring North Korea to its senses and with that leverage comes responsibility. Now as I’ve said to you many times, we know that North Korea is not an obedient client state of China. North Korea is not to China what East Germany was to the Soviet Union and China is dismayed and frustrated by North Korea’s conduct. Nonetheless the fact remains that China has the ability, the economic ability to bring North Korea to its senses and the responsibility therefore, on China, is the greatest.
The time has come for all nations, including China to take action to bring this regime to its senses.
Right now, the risk of war on the Korean Peninsula is greater than it has been for over 60 years. Conflict on the Korean Peninsula would be a disaster for the region and for the world. The time has come for China to take the responsibility to respond to this affront with strong action that brings this regime to its senses.
Thanks very much.
[ENDS]