China urges S. Korea to make efforts to alleviate N. Korea sanctions

Security advisors of South Korea, Japan and the U.S. highlighted the “imperative for full implementation” of relevant UN Security Council sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang. On the same day, China demanded South Korea to make efforts to resolve reasonable security concerns of North Korea. China has been using the term “reasonable security concerns” to refer to guarantee the continuity of the North Korean regime and alleviate sanctions against the rogue state. 　

“They agreed on the imperative for full implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions by the international community, including North Korea, preventing proliferation, and cooperating to strengthen deterrence and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” said the White House in a joint statement after having trilateral talks at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland on Friday (local time). “National security advisors shared their concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and reaffirmed their commitment to address and resolve these issues through concerted trilateral cooperation towards denuclearization.” The joint statement highlighted deterrence while pressing North Korea and China to observe the sanctions.

“South Korea, Japan and the U.S. agreed on the urgency and diplomatic necessity to resolve the North Korean nuclear issues and that our three countries should continue to make efforts for early resumption of the U.S.-North Korea talks,” said National Security Office Director Suh Hoon. But the resumption of talks was not included in the statement published by the White House. 　

“All related parties should actively try to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and effectively resolve the concerns of North Korea,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in talks with his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong on Saturday in Xiamen, China.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com