Ruling party chief asks China to press North Korea harder
Rep. Choo Mi-ae
By Choi Ha-young
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for his “efforts for peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula” during her meeting with him in Beijing on Friday, the party said.
Choo made the remark, mentioning China has been cooperating with the U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear provocations.
Their brief meeting took place at a photo session during the opening ceremony of the World Political Parties High-Level Meeting hosted by the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Choo was among leaders of over 250 political parties from around the world invited to the high-level meeting. She was also one of only 14 party leaders invited to pose for a photo with Xi individually.
The DPK leader agreed with Xi’s vision of a “community of common destiny,” which he mentioned during the 19th National Congress of the CPC in October.
Xi, however, did not give any specific response to Choo because he was in hurry to greet other guests, according to the DPK.
The high-level meeting is scheduled to run until Sunday.
Choo will deliver a keynote speech at Sunday’s closing ceremony, before wrapping up her four-day visit to Beijing.
Ahead of the meeting with Xi, Choo said China needs to play a greater role in pressing North Korea, saying China needs to wield a “stick” in dealing with the North, party officials said, without elaborating.
On Thursday evening, the chairwoman called for “mutual benefit” by increasing bilateral trade in a meeting with Xi’s aide He Yiting, executive vice president of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC.
During her stay in Beijing, Choo is expected to seek the understanding of Chinese officials on Seoul’s stance on the Terminal High Attitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery installed in South Korea which has been a core diplomatic thorn between Seoul and Beijing.
Before her departure to China, Choo told reporters she plans to remind Beijing of the inevitability of Seoul's deployment of the U.S. THAAD battery.
“I will reiterate we need a new perspective on the anti-missile system,” she said. “There’s a need to underline it was the previous government that abruptly pushed ahead with the deployment after some time denying the plan. While doing so, I will also persuade the Chinese we need heightened cooperation on the North Korea issue.”
The deployment of the missile defense system led to trade retaliation by China. The two parties declared to normalize their relations last month but pundits say additional measures are required to clear away lingering barrages between the two countries.