China is calling for dialogue to address the North Korean nuclear threat, but no one, not even North Korea, is listening.
Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday that a conflict on the Korean Peninsula would be destructive and disastrous for all parties involved. “We hope that all the parties concerned will work together to de-escalate the situation, get issues back on the track of dialogue, and work together to find proper solutions,” he explained at a press conference.
China is a proponent of the six-party denuclearization talks, which North Korea withdrew from almost a decade ago.
President Donald Trump believes China, despite its objections, has leverage over North Korea but refuses to put pressure on the rogue regime to protect its own interests. “It’s a very dangerous situation, and China can end it very quickly in my opinion,” Trump said last month, adding that, “I think China has tremendous control over North Korea, whether they say so or not. They could solve the problem very easily if they want to.”
When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers meeting, he encouraged China to use “all available tools” to help derail North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Tillerson will visit China this weekend, and North Korea is expected to be high on the list of important discussion topics, along with America’s recent deployment of the first elements of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea. China is firmly opposed to the deployment of THAAD, but Tillerson is unlikely to yield any ground. “THAAD is non-negotiable,” a Trump administration official told Reuters reporters. “This is one of those things where Beijing is just going to have to adapt or live in a perpetual cycle of outrage.” Concessions may be made elsewhere though to ensure greater cooperation.
The U.S. is moving strategic military assets onto the peninsula, and North Korea is responding with increasingly provocative rhetoric and actions. Steady escalation has China concerned.
Wang last week described the U.S., along with its allies, and North Korea as “accelerating trains coming toward each other,” adding that “neither side is willing to give way.”
“Our priority now is to flash the red light and apply brakes on both trains,” he explained. “Nuclear weapons will not bring security. The use of force is no solution. Talks deserve another chance, and peace is still within our grasp.”
Despite Chinese efforts to start a dialogue, the U.S., South Korea, and North Korea have all dismissed China’s proposals.
“We have to see some sort of positive action by North Korea before we can take them seriously,” Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said in response to Chinese calls. “This is not the time for us to talk about freezing or dialogue with North Korea,” commented South Korean ambassador Cho Tae-yul.
“This is not a rational person,” Haley said of Kim Jong-un, “He is not thinking clearly.”
More importantly, though, North Korea is not at all interested in talking, because dialogue would likely focus on denuclearization, a path North Korea is not willing to walk down at the moment.
“If the purpose is making us give up our nuclear program, (North Korea) is not interested in any kinds of dialogue,” North Korea’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Kim In-ryong, said Monday.
China might push its dialogue approach at the upcoming meeting with Tillerson, but the secretary of state is expected to put pressure on China to help curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
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