‘China should impose sanctions against N. Korea more faithfully,’ says U.S. official

“China should impose more sanctions against North Korea in a more faithful manner,” said Randall Schreiber, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Asia Pacific.

During an exclusive interview with the Dong-A Ilbo held at the Pentagon on Thursday immediately after the North Korea-China summit, the Assistant Secretary said the following with regards to the concern about the potential easing of sanctions due to the closer relations between North Korea and China: “I hope that Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their closed-door conversation that Pyongyang must return to the denuclearization talks with a sense of sincerity and purpose.”

On the remark made by U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun regarding the flexibility in the denuclearization talks with North Korea, Schreiber said, “It’s about the flexibility in the process of denuclearization, not in the ultimate goal of denuclearization. We are open to discussions about timelines that are realistic.”

On the topic of security concerns surrounding Huawei, the Assistant Secretary of Defense responded, “The ownership structure of Huawei is connected to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Allies using Huawei’s products are bound to be exposed to security vulnerabilities.”


jkim@donga.com