Post by Logan on Jan 20, 2016 3:01:32 GMT -6
China Must Lead in Ending North Korea’s Weapons Program, U.S. Says
SEOUL, South Korea — China must show leadership in international efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program by agreeing to tougher sanctions against its neighbor, a top American diplomat said here on Wednesday on his way to Beijing to discuss how to respond to the North’s latest nuclear test.
“We believe that China has a special role to play,” the diplomat, Antony J. Blinken, said. “It has more influence and more leverage over North Korea than any other country because virtually all North Korea’s trade goes to, from or through China.”
Mr. Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, spoke to reporters after meeting with senior South Korean foreign affairs and defense officials to coordinate Washington’s and Seoul’s responses to the North’s nuclear test on Jan. 6, its fourth since 2006. Later on Wednesday, he was to fly to Beijing, where he planned to discuss North Korea and other security issues on Thursday with Chinese officials, including the executive vice foreign minister, Zhang Yesui.
For years, the United States has called on China to use its economic leverage to force North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. But China has been reluctant to put as much pressure on the North as Washington has wanted because of fears that to do so would make it more aggressive or even push its government to collapse. China considers neither situation in its strategic interest, analysts say.
Continued at www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-china.html .
SEOUL, South Korea — China must show leadership in international efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons program by agreeing to tougher sanctions against its neighbor, a top American diplomat said here on Wednesday on his way to Beijing to discuss how to respond to the North’s latest nuclear test.
“We believe that China has a special role to play,” the diplomat, Antony J. Blinken, said. “It has more influence and more leverage over North Korea than any other country because virtually all North Korea’s trade goes to, from or through China.”
Mr. Blinken, the deputy secretary of state, spoke to reporters after meeting with senior South Korean foreign affairs and defense officials to coordinate Washington’s and Seoul’s responses to the North’s nuclear test on Jan. 6, its fourth since 2006. Later on Wednesday, he was to fly to Beijing, where he planned to discuss North Korea and other security issues on Thursday with Chinese officials, including the executive vice foreign minister, Zhang Yesui.
For years, the United States has called on China to use its economic leverage to force North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. But China has been reluctant to put as much pressure on the North as Washington has wanted because of fears that to do so would make it more aggressive or even push its government to collapse. China considers neither situation in its strategic interest, analysts say.
Continued at www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-china.html .