World News
In state media, China presents itself as crucial to US-N Korea talks Bolivians unfurl massive flag in support for sea access claim
BEIJING (Reuters) - China helped bring about a dramatic easing of tensions between the United States and North Korea, according state media outlets, adding evidence that the government sees itself as a central player in any agreement despite largely sitting on the sidelines so far.
The commentary seeks to cast the planned talks between the two Koreas and a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un - as the result of Chinese efforts.
The Communist Party’s official People’s Daily cited China’s plan for North Korea to suspend nuclear and missile tests, and South Korea and the United States to suspend military drills as leading to this moment.
“It should be understood that these easing of tension signals are actually an effect brought about by the ‘dual suspension’” proposal, the paper said on Saturday.
The paper cited Trump as telling Chinese President Xi Jinping in a telephone call on Friday that China’s position that the United States should talk to North Korea was the correct one.
“The US side profusely thanked and put high importance on China’s important role in the Korean peninsula issue,” the paper said in its regular “Zhong Sheng,” or “voice of China,” column, which presents the paper’s position on foreign policy.
China has been front and centre in diplomatic efforts over North Korea, long pushing for a resumption of talks to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. A decade ago, it hosted numerous rounds of negotiations that fizzled out.
It has also been deeply involved in diplomatic efforts at the United Nations.
But its relations with North Korea have nosedived. There are few high-level contacts between the two countries at present, and North Korea’s youthful leader, Kim, widely derided on Chinese social media as “Fatty Kim,” has not visited China since taking power in 2011.
China played little obvious role in the thaw between the two Koreas at last month’s Winter Olympics, which saw a high-level North Korean delegation attend and set the groundwork for an interKorean summit in April.
Han Zheng, Shanghai’s former Communist Party boss, led China’s delegation at the opening ceremony. Though he is the party’s seventh-ranked leader, with a position on the party’s elite Standing Committee, which runs China, he has little diplomatic experience. LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia unfurled a nearly 200-km long (124 miles) bright blue flag on Saturday in a show of support for the landlocked country’s bid to regain sovereign access to the sea.
Tens of thousands of Bolivians held the so-called “flag of maritime revindication,” which stretched like a long ribbon along a highway in the Andes between the towns Oruro and Apacheta, on the outskirts of La Paz.
The display of patriotism aims to cheer on Bolivia’s legal team ahead of oral arguments it will deliver at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the country’s claim to sovereign access to Chile’s Pacific coast.
Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific Ocean in a late 19th century war with Chile, but maintains a navy and wants a corridor to the sea to boost its exports of natural gas and minerals.
“We’ll show the International Court of Justice and all people on the planet that our cause is just, reasonable and sound,” President Evo Morales said after flying over the flag in a helicopter.
Morales has faced street protests in recent months over his plan to seek a fourth presidential term next year, after a court eliminated term limits last year.
Bolivia and Chile will start nine days of oral arguments before the ICJ on March 19.