North Korea tightening strategic alliance with China for nuclear leverage

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Tue, October 3, 2023 | 14:17

Politics

North Korea tightening strategic alliance with China for nuclear leverage

Posted : 2019-09-02 17:08

Updated : 2019-09-03 09:13

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho during their meeting in Pyongyang in this file photo taken May 3 last year. Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his official North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-ho in Pyongyang, Monday, a move seen by many as the North showing off the Beijing-Pyongyang alliance amid stalled denuclearization talks between North Korea and the United States.

The Chinese FM's visit to the North Korean capital has raised expectations that a possible summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could take place soon.

No official announcements have been made from either side regarding but there stands a high probability the two will meet, as both countries have historically taken advantage of their alliance when they detect any signs of diplomatic friction between Seoul and Washington, political analysts in Seoul said.

A few days ago, North Korea's vice FM Choe Son-hui fired a salvo against U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying the North's expectations of dialogue with the United States are "gradually fading," as carried by the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In a recent speech, Pompeo said, "We recognized that North Korea's rogue behavior could not be ignored."

The timing of the high-profile meeting between senior North Korean and Chinese diplomats is interesting since concerns were high over a possible crack in the trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, Japan and the United States after Seoul's recent decision to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) intelligence-sharing pact with Tokyo.

Diplomatic sources said the visiting Chinese FM would explore ways to bring Kim Jong-un to China for his fifth visit. The Chinese government official is likely to hold a separate meeting with Kim during his three-day stay in the reclusive state.

Kim is expected to visit China sometime around Oct. 6, marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Beijing and Pyongyang. Kim has visited China four times since last year when the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang were underway.

"Under the current diplomatic circumstances surrounding the Korean Peninsula, North Korea can press the U.S. by simply dragging its feet on restarting the nuclear dialogue," said Shin Beom-chul, a senior analyst at Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

To some extent, such a gesture from Pyongyang also comes as a burden to Seoul as well, as South Korean President Moon Jae-in has put top priority in bringing inter-Korean peace since his 2017 inauguration, Shin said.

Nuclear disarmament talks between Washington and Pyongyang are in a stalemate following several missile launches by the North that have alarmed its neighbors, the significance of which U.S. President Donald Trump has intentionally downplayed.

If another China-North Korea summit happens, chances are Kim will discuss his denuclearization strategy with Chinese President Xi Jinping before resuming the suspended working-level nuclear talks with Washington. For China, North Korea is also one of the most strategic partners at this period of time when Beijing is in an all-out trade war against Washington.

mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr