China urges US, NKorea to hold talks

BEIJING: China’s foreign minister urged the United States and North Korea on Thursday to start talks as soon as possible, stressing that “the sincerity” of all parties to solve the nuclear crisis would be tested.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi cauthe right direction,” Wang told a tiously welcomed Seoul’s anpress conference on the sidelines nouncement that Pyongyang had of annual parliamentary session. offered to hold denuclearization “These initial steps must be talks with the United States in followed up by corresponding and return for security guarantees. concerted efforts by the parties. We

The North also agreed to hold a call on the parties, particularly the historic summit between its leader United States and the DPRK, to Kim Jong Un and South Korean engage in dialogue sooner rather President Moon Jae-in in late April. than later,” he said.

“The Korean peninsula issue has But Wang issued a word of cau tion, noting that breakthroughs on the North Korean nuclear issue had collapsed in the past.

“Of course it takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice,” he said.

“Despite light at the end of the tunnel, the journey ahead won’t be smooth. History has reminded us time and again that whenever tensions subsided on the peninsula the situation would be clouded by various interferences,” he said.

“Now is the crucial moment to test the sincerity of the parties to solve the nuclear issue.”

Wang’s comments come as two South Korean envoys left for Wash North’s offer, after their landmark visit to meet Kim in Pyongyang.

According to Seoul, Kim said the North wanted to talk to the US and would not need nuclear weapons if the country’s security was guaranteed.

Envoy Chung Eui-yong, head of will travel to China and Russia following his Washington trip.

Breakthrough or ploy?

Wang said the security concerns of North Korea must be addressed in return for progress towards denuclearisation.

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Beijing has backed a series of United Nations sanctions against North Korea, sending relations between the Cold War-era allies to a new low.

Beijing has repeatedly called for negotiations to peacefully put an end to tensions that have raised fears of nuclear warfare, after Kim and Trump.

Wang said China’s proposal for the United States, Japan and South Korea to suspend joint military drills in the region in return for North Korea halting its nuclear and missile tests was “the right prescription.”

In Tokyo, which has seen North Korea test ballistic missiles over its airspace, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that North Korea’s offer of denuclearization talks with Washington could be a ploy to play for time.

“I’ve repeatedly said that we have to create a situation of putting maximum pressure on North Korea so that the North wants to have talks with us,” Abe told MPs.

“However... it is true that the North has in the past earned time to develop nuclear capabilities and missiles” during periods of negotiation, Abe cautioned.

“Talks for the sake of talks are meaningless and we should never loosen sanctions just because North Korea is open to talks.”