The US needs to shift its tactics on Korea
The Korean nuclear crisis has escalated so much that it is now threatening world security. Since the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) first nuclear test in 2006, the UN Security Council has adopted 10 related resolutions, with the latest banning more than 90 per cent of the DPRK’S foreign trade, limiting its imports of crude oil to under four million barrels a year and shutting down its overseas companies. Meanwhile, the US and its allies have imposed unilateral sanctions while setting increasing military pressure on the DPRK.
Increasingly tough sanctions have seriously affected the DPRK’S economic needs, but failed to stop its nuclear and missile programmes. Instead, they have only strengthened its determination to go nuclear. The DPRK believes that it has no other choice but to pursue nuclear weapons for the protection of its security and the regime’s safety. The US and its allies pay more attention to possible restrictions on the DPRK than addressing its security concerns in exchange for abandoning its nuclear programme. Pressure and sanctions are far from achieving their purpose. The DPRK has prioritised the development of both nuclear and the economy and has secured a growth rate of more than 1 per cent in the past two years. Those who have been to Pyongyang report improvement in local people’s lives.
The US has insisted on a policy of “maximum pressure” and has claimed that the military option is on the table. The US would have great difficulties in making the decision to go to war given the high cost and unpredictable result. But its posture and rhetoric have only made the DPRK more determined to accelerate its “historic cause” of nuclear development to guarantee its security. If the US keeps deceiving itself with a misguided approach, it will pay an even higher price in the future.
A new opportunity has emerged for relaxing tensions on the Peninsula. The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the DPRK extended a hand of reconciliation to each other at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Athletes of both countries walked hand in hand under the Peninsula flag into the stadium at the opening ceremony, showing their aspiration for peace. Kim Jong-un, the DPRK’S top leader, has invited ROK President Moon Jae-in to visit Pyongyang. The question is how long the “Winter Olympics effect” will last.
Peace on the Peninsula isn’t possible without settling the nuclear issue, which means the US and the DPRK must talk directly. The Olympics created the platform for peace talks and now it is for the actors to come to the stage. President Moon said in his response to Kim Jong-un’s invitation that a positive dialogue between the DPRK and the US is needed to create conditions for his visit to Pyongyang.
The root cause of the Korean nuclear issue is hostility on the Peninsula. As a key player, the US needs to adjust its objectives and address the issue instead of fuelling that hostility. Alongside pressure and sanctions, the US should start peace talks and make diplomatic compromises, including seriously considering the security appeals of the DPRK, if it wants to bring the issue back to the track of peaceful settlement. In fact, all Dprk-related Security Council resolutions, while increasing sanctions, also called for the resumption of talks. The DPRK must not miss this chance either and should make efforts to achieve more reliable security through talks.
Undoubtedly, the US has found it difficult to resume talks. In more than 20 years, peace talks produced a host of agreements, but none have been fully implemented. The US and DPRK have accused each other of failing to deliver on their commitments, but both sides have dragged their feet in implementing agreements or have even breached them. But time cannot be reversed, and it is important to be forward-looking.
From China’s perspective, sanctions are necessary, but must be aimed at promoting talks. Pressure without talks would lead nowhere. China put forward the “suspension for suspension” initiative, under which the DPRK would suspend its nuclear and missile programmes, and the US and the ROK suspend their large-scale military exercises. Our hope was to give peace a chance. During the Olympics, the US and the ROK postponed military drills, creating a de-facto “suspension for suspension” state and significantly easing tensions. A new window for peace between the DPRK and the ROK has thus been opened. It is hoped that the US and the DPRK will seize this valuable opportunity and take steps towards engagement, and that all relevant parties should support it, too.
China does not want war, chaos, nuclear pollution or a refugee wave on the Peninsula. No one would emerge as a winner from a war. The US and its allies need to understand the necessity of compromise, instead of taking a zero-sum approach, only considering their own interests and refusing to give the other side a chance for survival and development. China is committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind, which has provided a new approach towards common security on the Peninsula.
Fu Ying is chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of China’s National People’s Congress