China calls for “new efforts” in addressing Korean peninsula issues

Posted on : 2017-03-03 15:57 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Recently China has held a series of meetings with countries involved in the Six Party Talks
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Kil-song (left) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Kil-song (left) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the need for “new efforts” on the Korean Peninsula from Pyongyang and Beijing while meeting with visiting North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Ri Kil-song in China.

A report of Wang and Ri’s meeting was published on Mar. 1 as a “Minister’s Activities” piece on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website, with quotes from both officials. On Korean Peninsula issues, the ministry quoted Wang as saying he “hopes all the countries involved will seize opportunities and eliminate challenges to manage and control the situation, making new efforts toward the goal of achieving denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.” The ministry also suggested Wang had reaffirmed China’s three chief principles on Korean Peninsula issues, namely denuclearization, peace and stability, and resolution of problems through dialogue and negotiation.

China’s use of the term “new efforts” may be read as emphasizing the need for different countries to achieve a change in the status quo as suggested by Beijing. For over a year, it has suggested the goal of pursuing denuclearization and adoption of a peace regime in tandem. It has also called for resumption of the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue as a way to achieve this.

China’s activities with other countries in the Six-Party Talks have been particularly busy of late. On Mar. 2, the Global Times quoted experts as saying a message in favor of resuming the talks had been delivered to Washington, Moscow, Seoul, and Pyongyang, citing activities such as a Feb. 28 meeting between Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, joint attendance by Wang and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se at February’s Munich Security Conference, Ri’s China visit at Beijing’s invitation, and a China visit by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Ri as saying that North Korea and China’s friendship was a “shared asset for both countries” and that Pyongyang “hopes for in-depth communication with China on the Korean Peninsula’s political situation.”

Meanwhile, a Mar. 2 editorial in the Global Times attacked arguments from some Chinese observers that Beijing should part ways with Pyongyang, a move it said would “be applauded and cheered by South Korea and the US alone.”

“While antipathy toward North Korea may be spreading, public sentiments should be distinguished from diplomatic policy,” the piece advised.

By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

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

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