SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – America’s top diplomat on Thursday pressured China to use its “massive influence” to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, hours after the North said it would make US offers. to resume negotiations would ignore.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke at the end of high-profile security talks in Seoul, including Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and the South Korean Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense. The so-called “two plus two” meeting, the first of its kind in five years, came as President Joe Biden pushes to re-establish US alliances in Asia in the face of growing challenges from China and North Korea.
“Beijing has an interest in it, a clear self-interest to help pursue the denuclearization of (North Korea) because it is a source of instability. It is a source of danger and of course a threat to us and our partners, ”Blinken said at a press conference.
He said Beijing “has a vital role to play” in inducing North Korea to denuclearize, as most of the north’s foreign trade passes through China. Blinken stressed that, under UN Security Council resolutions, China is obliged to fully enforce sanctions imposed on North Korea’s banned nuclear and missile tests.
Earlier Thursday, Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s first deputy foreign minister, confirmed Blinken’s earlier announcement that Washington had contacted Pyongyang through various channels as of mid-February, but no response has been received.
Choe called the US outreach a “time-delaying ploy” and said North Korea would continue to ignore similar offers for talks unless Washington withdraws its hostility. “What has been heard from the US since the rise of the new regime is just an insane theory of ‘threat from North Korea’ and baseless rhetoric about ‘complete denuclearization,'” she said.
Choe suggested that Washington’s reported pressure to enact additional sanctions and put pressure on North Korea, coupled with this month’s military exercises between the US and South Korea, are evidence of US hostility .
When asked about Choe’s statement, Blinken said he was aware but said he was more interested in the comments and thoughts of US allies and partners while on a regional tour.
US-led diplomacy targeting North Korea’s nuclear weapons continues to stall for about two years due to disputes over US-led sanctions. Experts debate whether the United States and its allies should settle for a deal that would freeze North Korea’s nuclear activities in exchange for relaxed sanctions to keep the arsenal from growing.
Earlier this week, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned the United States not to “cause a stench,” while criticizing the US-South Korean exercises that her government sees as an invasion rehearsal.
Some experts say North Korea, eager to win sanctions aid, could incite hostility with missile tests to increase its influence in all negotiations with the United States. North Korea’s dying economy is under additional pressure from the pandemic-related border closure that has significantly shrunk foreign trade and a wave of natural disasters last summer.
Following Thursday’s talks, Blinken, Austin and their South Korean counterparts said in a joint statement that North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile issues are “a priority for the alliance” and reaffirmed a shared commitment to address these issues. Both Bliken and Austin said the allies remain committed to denuclearizing North Korea.
Austin said the US is fully committed to the defense of South Korea, using “the full range of US capabilities, including our comprehensive deterrent.” He said the Allies will maintain “a robust combined defense stance”.
Blinken condemned North Korea’s human rights for a second day in a row, saying that people in North Korea “are still victims of widespread and systematic violations by a repressive government.”
Blinken and Austin are on the first overseas trip of cabinet officials since Biden took office in January. They visited Japan before coming to Seoul.
Blinken said Thursday’s talks discussed China’s role, and “we are clear that Beijing is failing to meet its commitments.”
“And we talked about how Beijing’s aggressive and authoritarian behavior is jeopardizing the stability and prosperity of the Pacific,” he said. “Beijing’s actions make forging a common approach among our allies all the more important at a time when we see democracy and human rights being reversed around the world, including in Burma.”
Blinken will meet with senior Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, on his way back to Washington, while Austin will travel to New Delhi for talks with Indian officials.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said Beijing does not expect the Alaska talks to resolve all issues between China and the US and “we do not have too high expectations.” Cu added that he hoped the meeting would “be a start and that the two sides can begin a dialogue process that is frank, constructive and realistic.”