Summit in Beijing show S. Korea and China’s different takes on North Korean nukes

Posted on : 2014-11-12 16:01 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Document on Chinese ministry’s website shows more emphasis on resuming six-party talks
 Nov. 11.
Nov. 11.

The statements released by South Korea and China after the summit that took place in Beijing on Nov. 10 as part of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting reveal the different stances the two countries have on North Korean nuclear weapons and the six-party talks.

The document posted on the homepage of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the meeting between President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday devoted considerable space to the issue of resuming the six-party talks.

In the document, President Xi is quoted as saying that “China’s position on the issue of the Korean peninsula is clear and consistent. We hope that all of the countries involved will show sincerity by resuming the talks so that we can quickly find a method that will be acceptable to all in terms of the work required and the effect produced.”

While the remarks are couched in diplomatic rhetoric, they represent a request for the US and South Korea, who have been asking North Korea to take steps toward denuclearization as a requirement for resuming the six-party talks, to lower the threshold for the talks.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs went on to quote Park Geun-hye as having responded by saying, “South Korea emphasizes the important role that China plays in the affairs on the Korean peninsula. We hope to strengthen our communication and cooperation with China in order to create advantageous conditions and to quickly reopen the six-party talks.” These comments, which ask China to be more proactive about using its considerable leverage over North Korea to resolve the issue of the North Korean nuclear program, mirror the American position.

Perhaps because a difference of opinion was expressed between the South Korean and Chinese approaches to reopening the six-party talks, the expression “six-party talks” did not appear in the statement about the results of the summit made by Ju Cheol-gi, Blue House Secretary for Foreign Affairs and National Security.

Instead, the statement emphasized that “President Xi reiterated his clear opposition to North Korea‘s nuclear program” and that “the two leaders agreed to work together closely in the future as they increase their efforts to enable North Korea to make the strategic choice of abandoning its nuclear program”. This wording was not included in the statement released by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

No joint statement was produced after the bilateral summit, which would have required both sides to coordinate and agree upon each official remark that would appear. Instead, the two countries appear to have emphasized the sections that they wanted to emphasize in the statements they released.

“Since we are unable to communicate everything that was said during the summit, we focused on the items of interest in the briefing,” a senior South Korean government official said.

 

By Kim Oi-hyun, staff reporter

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

 

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