North Korea is continuing to position ongoing sanctions against the country as the biggest impediment to denuclearization talks, with an official calling them “confidence-destroying measures” at a forum in Beijing on Thursday.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Song Il Hyok – the deputy director general of the Institute for Disarmament and Peace – made the comments during a discussion at the Xiangshan Forum hosted by China. 

“We think that sanctions and pressure do more harm than good,” Song is quoted as saying by multiple news agencies.

Song added that U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un