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Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden stand for photos to mark their in-person summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov. 14. (AP/Yonhap)

US president Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping confirmed their conflicting positions on what they think is the cause and the ultimate solution for the North Korean nuclear issue in their first face-to-face summit. Despite North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats being significantly different from the past, the two countries’ perceptions of North Korea are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

In a readout published after the summit between Biden and Xi on Monday in Bali, Indonesia, the White House stated, “President Biden also raised concerns about the DPRK’s provocative behavior,” and “noted all members of the international community have an interest in encouraging the DPRK to act responsibly,” referring to North Korea by an abbreviated form of its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Speaking to the press after the summit, Biden stated, “[I]t’s difficult to say that I am certain that — that China can control North Korea,” while adding that he had “made it clear to President Xi Jinping that I thought they had an obligation to attempt to make it clear to North Korea that they should not engage in long-range nuclear tests.” Biden also said that if North Korea continues to raise tensions by conducting a nuclear test, the US “would have to take certain actions that would be more defensive on our behalf,” that would “not be directed against China, but it would be to send a clear message to North Korea.”

While acknowledging that China cannot solve the North Korean nuclear problem on its own, the US is asking that it play a crucial role in keeping tabs on the country.

China’s stance in response to that request was subtle. There was no mention of the North Korean nuclear program in the readout that the Chinese Foreign Ministry released after the summit. Xi’s remarks were mentioned for the first time during a press briefing by Wang Yi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo who serves as the country’s foreign minister.

Wang stated, “On the Korean nuclear issue, President Xi Jinping elaborated on China’s set position, and stressed the need for the parties to face up to the crux of the issues on the Korean Peninsula and resolve each other's concerns in a balanced manner, especially the legitimate concerns of the DPRK.”

China is reiterating its previous position about the matter, stating that the US and other countries should appease North Korea’s “legitimate concerns.”

By Choi Hyun-june, Beijing correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]