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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit in the US on Apr. 6.

During a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sept. 8, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized once again that Korean Peninsula issues should be “resolved through dialogue.” The day before, Xi called for “a peaceful solution” during a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Xi’s “telephone diplomacy” appears to be designed as a response to US President Donald Trump’s calls for putting more pressure on North Korea during phone calls with the leaders of South Korea and Japan.

According to the website of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi told Macron that “China retains the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and it will firmly protect the international nonproliferation regime and the peace and stability of Northeast Asia.”

Xi was also quoted as saying, “In the end, Korean Peninsula issues can only be resolved through peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiations.” Xi also expressed his hope that “France would play a constructive role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to relieve tensions and to resume dialogue.”

China’s Foreign Ministry quoted Macron as saying that “France will work for the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula. France values China’s position on resolving the issue of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and the important role that it plays and will strengthen its cooperation with China to push for an appropriate resolution to the issues on the Korean Peninsula.”

Quoting the Élysée Palace, AFP reported that Macron had repeatedly emphasized the international community’s criticism for North Korea’s provocations and said that “such provocations require the international community to avoid a dangerous situation by imposing new pressure with the goal of bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.” So while China emphasized “China’s role” and France emphasized “new pressure,” they both offered “dialogue” as being the ultimate goal.

While the US has been pressuring related countries since North Korea’s sixth nuclear test by imposing a deadline on the UN Security Council’s sanctions resolution and circulating a draft resolution, Xi has held a series of meetings with these countries to discuss a “Chinese-style” solution. Following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the day of the nuclear test, Xi met the leaders of emerging economies during the BRICS summit on Sept. 4 and 5. Xi then spoke on the phone with Trump on Sept. 6 and with Merkel on Sept. 7.

By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent

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