Beijing willing to hold talks with US on North Korea: report
Staff Reporter 2013-04-23 15:37
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un salutes KPA troops on March 12, 2013. (Photo/Xinhua)
Troubled by the persistent provocations emanating from North Korea, Beijing has indicated a willingness to open a dialogue with the United States on how to stabilize the Korean peninsula.
According to a report in the Seoul-based Chosun Ilbo, Beijing has been deeply troubled by the missile tests and provocative behavior of Pyongyang, led by its unpredictable and inexperienced 29-year-old leader Kim Jong-un. To prevent the situation from potentially spiraling out of control, Beijing at the start of this year indicated a willingness to open talks with the US about how to rein in its wayward ally, the newspaper said.
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, appeared to confirm the report during a briefing with US lawmakers on April 17. "I think it's fair to say that without China, North Korea would collapse," he said. "Therefore, I think it is important for us to work with China. And I think China has indicated its willingness to work with us."
Beijing is said to be interested in joining the push by the Park Geun-hye government in South Korea to initiate a strategic dialogue between the South, China and the US, which will be aimed at pressuring North Korea to change its approach of resorting to blackmail to get what it wants. A source from Seoul said that during recent China-South Korea talks, a Chinese representative said that this type of dialogue was essential. "This shows that Kim Jong-un's provocation has been excessive, and China is beginning to shift in its attitude," the source said.
The Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, citing a North Korean source, said Pyongyang has accepted Beijing's proposal to conduct talks. Analysts believe China is likely to send a number of senior officials to Pyongyang, in particular Wu Dawei, China's special representative for Korean peninsula affairs. The primary goal of the visit will be to get North Korea to rejoin the stalled six-party talks concerning its nuclear program and to accept opening a dialogue with the US, the paper said.
Asahi Shimbun also speculated that North Korea might accept China's proposal because Kim Jong-un would be able to tell his country that it was the US and South Korea who backed down from the confrontation.
North Korea has already deployed several missile launchers to its east coast, though an anticipated launch on April 15, the birthday of the country's late founder Kim Il-sung, did not take place as some had expected.
A South Korean military spokesperson said on Monday that the North could conduct a missile test on one of three specific dates: the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army on April 25; the last day of the US-South Korea joint war games on April 30; or the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War on July 27.
