China plays a major role in the international community's handling of the North Korean nuclear issue. While maintaining their cooperation with China in applying sanction pressure on Pyongyang, Japan, the United States and South Korea need to work out a strategy that will lead North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, visited China and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to an announcement by the Chinese side, both leaders agreed to make efforts toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, easing tensions and improving bilateral ties between China and North Korea, among other things.
Kim's visit to China was his first to a foreign country since he became North Korea's supreme leader. Relations with China, which is traditionally a friendly country to North Korea, deteriorated as Pyongyang, for instance, defiantly conducted nuclear development programs. But they have begun moving toward the restoration of relations.
With inter-Korean summit talks slated to be held in late April and the U.S.-North Korea summit scheduled to be held by the end of May, Kim apparently intends to proceed with the negotiations in Pyongyang's favor by gaining a backer in China. Xi praised that "positive changes have taken place on the Korean Peninsula."
The country's harsh economic conditions are doubtless behind Kim's "dialogue offensive." As sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang by the U.N. Security Council have been implemented thoroughly at the initiative of the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump, China imposed limits on exporting refined petroleum products to North Korea.
The active involvement of China, which holds the lifeline of North Korea's economy, is essential to solve the nuclear issue.
The White House press secretary emphasized that "our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea."
U.S. forces' presence vital
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, "Sanctions must be maintained unless North Korea takes concrete actions." Abe must coordinate with Washington on future measures to be taken when he visits the United States next month.
It is problematic that North Korea's intention of abandoning its nuclear program still remains dubious.
Kim said the country would "be committed to denuclearization on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il Sung and late General Secretary Kim Jong Il." He also indicated his idea of making it a condition for resolving the nuclear issue that the United States and South Korea take "progressive and synchronous measures" and "respond with good will" to the actions taken by the North side.
North Korea's past regimes have deceived the international community and advanced its nuclear development, while forcing its own citizens to live in poverty. Its "will" is not convincing at all.
As "synchronous measures," Kim may demand such measures as the U.S. and South Korean sides reducing or withdrawing the U.S. forces stationed in South Korea, or easing or lifting economic sanctions.
The U.S. forces stationed in South Korea have been a deterrent to North Korea, a country that makes military provocations as a usual practice. The forces must not be used as a bargaining chip in talks over the denuclearization. The United States and South Korea will conduct, starting on April 1, joint military drills that were postponed because of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Maintaining their dexterity and readiness also constitutes pressure on North Korea.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 29, 2018)
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