Chinese leader Xi Jinping has moved to clarify Beijing’s opposition to North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction. The message was conveyed on the 23rd to a delegation representing South Korean President-elect Park Geun Hye in Beijing.
The leader of the delegation, Kim Moo Sung subsequently explained, “General-Secretary Xi made it very clear that China sees preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction and denuclearization as essential conditions for the maintenance of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” before adding, “General-Secretary Xi made it very clear that he opposes ‘nuclear North Korea’.”
Kim added, “I passed on President-elect Park’s stance, which is that North Korean provocations will not be tolerated and we will have to respond strongly to further provocations, but at the same time will always keep open the window to dialogue and cooperation, including on humanitarian assistance for North Korea. General-Secretary Xi welcomed these comments.”
It is highly unusual for a top Chinese leader to state opposition to North Korean behavior so openly, and, coming hot on the heels of China’s acquiescence to the most recent UN resolution targeting the North, it shows the level of Beijing’s desire to avoid a third North Korean nuclear test.
However, the danger of such a test appears to be growing. Xi’s remarks came about as North Korean state news agency KCNA was publishing an article in the name of the National Defense Commission that declared that future military developments, including nuclear and missile tests, will target “the sworn enemy of our people, the United States.”
Analyzing events, Lee Tae Hwan of the Sejong Institute explained, “China has handed a clear warning to North Korea for its undesirable behavior by joining the international movement toward sanctions,” adding, “China is giving North Korea a warning message, asking them not to make the situation worse.”
