US sincerity in solving N.Korea nuclear issue questioned

The latest visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea was said to be “productive” by the US chief diplomat himself, but with sharp contrast, North Korea accused the Trump administration of pushing a “unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization” and called it “deeply regrettable.”

The contradicting remarks by the two sides reignited people’s doubts over the sincerity of the United States to solve the North Korean nuclear issue.

Chinese strategists are worried that the Trump administration may go beyond diplomacy and undermine China’s interests on the peninsula.

US observers have long held the view that China is the crux of the peninsula nuclear issue and it is China that can exert the most pressure on Pyongyang to make it yield all of its nuclear weapons.

With Pompeo leaving North Korea empty-handed, some US media were quick to speculate that China will use North Korea as a bargaining chip on trade and other disputes, especially now that the China-US trade row is escalating.

However, what they may have missed is the fact that the relationship between the US and North Korea is not something that China can control.

China fully supports the move to denuclearization which will dismantle a time bomb in the region and regards that it is absolutely productive to change the whole area into a new economic powerhouse.

But this is not the utmost motivation in US dealings with North Korea. The US has been using North Korea as pretext to justify its military presence in Northeast Asia and the entire Asia-Pacific. For the US, the longterm management of China is more of a national security concern than North Korean nuclear tests, a CIA analyst told Time last year.

By tightly controlling the valves of the regional situation, the US is trying to manipulate the tension of the peninsula according to its strategic needs to maximize its interests. This is the real intention of Washington.

The US is the dominant factor in the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Countries concerned, including South Korea and Japan, should realize the long and difficult path to North Korea’s denuclearization.

Regional powers allied with Washington should craft their own way to solve the nuclear issue instead of serving as US yes-men. At present, their military alliance with the US has increased the complexity and difficulty of regional peace in the long run, although they might feel sheltered under the protection of the US umbrella.

China is an active player for peace on the peninsula. However, at a time of setbacks in Sino-US relations, we need to attach more attention to any adjustments made by the Trump administration on the peninsula issue and continue to unswervingly promote the denuclearization of the peninsula.