Amid growing signs of a full-blown Pyongyang-Washington dialogue increasingly likely as a way to resolve the often stalled North Korean nuclear talks, a Chinese scholar said the current multinational nuclear negotiation framework may be put into a back burner as the direct talks between the two countries will begin to have a full play.
In an interview with Hankook Ilbo, reported Saturday, Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Beijing’s Renmin University, said he expects a “comprehensive dialogue” between North Korea and the United States will take place with Barak Obama’s taking the helm of the next U.S. administration, signaling a “new era of diplomacy in Northeast Asia.”
“The Obama administration will push forward a more proactive bilateral dialogue with Pyongyang. With that, the six-party talks framework may relegate into a supplementary role,” Shi said. His country, China, has been the host to the multinational effort to denuclearize North Korea, dubbed “six-party talks.”
Shi added, “The key is still held by North Korea. For Chairman Kim Jong-il, the launch of the Obama administration is an opportunity. Yet he has to decide what his country will give to America and what it will receive in return.”
He predicted that if Obama pays increasing diplomatic energy so as to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, Pyongyang will continue to pose its hardline posture toward Seoul. In that case, Shi said, Pyongyang will likewise be less enthusiastic to work on improving its relationship with Japan either.
He warned, however, “If North Korea’s such an attitude persists for a long time, it can undermine the Pyongyang-Washington relationship itself.”