US calls on China to influence Russia, North KoreaExBulletin

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday.

Kazuki Kozaki/Pool Kyodo

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Kazuki Kozaki/Pool Kyodo

WASHINGTON The United States and South Korea have called on China to use its influence over Russia and North Korea to prevent an escalation after Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia to help Moscow in the war against 'Ukraine. So far, Beijing has remained silent.

In a rare meeting earlier this week, three senior U.S. diplomats met with China's ambassador to the United States to highlight U.S. concerns and urge China to use its influence over North Korea to try to restrain the cooperation, according to a State Department official who spoke. under condition of anonymity.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the sides had “an intense conversation this week” and that China knows the United States hopes “that they will use the influence they have to work to curb these activities “.

“But I think this is a signal of demand that comes not just from us, but from countries around the world,” he said at a news conference in Washington with Secretary at Defense Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that China's position on the Ukraine crisis was “consistent and clear.”

China strives “to achieve peace talks and a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. This position remains unchanged. China will continue to play a constructive role to this end,” Liu said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Tuesday at an event with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on the economic benefits of U.S. travel and tourism at the State Department in Washington.

Kevin Wolf/AP

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Kevin Wolf/AP

The United States says 8,000 North Korean troops are in Russia near the Ukrainian border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight Ukrainian troops in the coming days. China has not yet publicly commented on the decision.

Beijing has forged a “no-holds-barred” partnership with Moscow and, although it is also a major ally of Pyongyang, experts say Beijing may not approve of a closer military partnership between Russia and North Korea because it considers it destabilizing in the region.

The Russia-North Korea partnership runs counter to Beijing's goal of a peaceful Korean Peninsula, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at Renmin University of China.

Beijing is “aware of the complexity and danger of the situation,” Shi said, noting that “the fact that China has yet to say anything about the military alliance agreement between North Korea and Russia indicates that China strongly disagrees with this agreement.

Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow at the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University, called Beijing's “radio silence” on North Korea's move “staggering.” He said Beijing needed to strike a balance between supporting Moscow and not angering the West, and that Chinese President Xi Jinping could “for his own good ignore all this.”

Xi has built a personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and “he can't see Putin failing,” Wilder said this week during a roundtable hosted by the Washington-based think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

At the same time, Xi cannot anger Europeans and Americans while his country's economy is struggling, Wilder said. “So he’s not going to say anything publicly about it,” Wilder said.

Victor Cha, Korean president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said at the same roundtable that for China, “there is probably a combination of a little exasperation, a little panic and 'a little refusal'. know what to do in the current situation. »

It is unclear whether Beijing was informed in advance of Pyongyang's decision, Cha said. Beijing may also be concerned about Russia gaining more influence over North Korea than China, Cha said.

Austin said Thursday that China “should ask Russia some tough questions at this point and ask whether it intends to widen this conflict through this type of behavior.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, April 25, 2019.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

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Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dan Kritenbrink and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs James O'Brien met Tuesday with the envoy Chinese Xie Feng in Washington, according to the State Department official, who would not detail the Chinese response.

Lu Chao, director of the Institute of American and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University in northeast China's Liaoning province, said the United States should not expect China to manage North Korea.

“It is not true that China is responsible for handling North Korea and the United States is responsible for handling South Korea,” Lu said. “I hope the U.S. government will be able to understand China's position.”

Lu also said troop deployment was “a matter between Russia and North Korea”, while China's attitude remained unchanged that the conflict should not escalate.