Editorial: Korean Peninsula dilemma needs more reason less impulse
The situation on the Korean peninsula remains at a dangerous level, as the confrontation between the United States and North Korea continues to escalate. With tensions heightening towards a possible breaking point, China has once again stepped forward to help cool down the heat.
On April 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump. This was the second phone call between the two Heads of State since their meeting at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. During the phone call, Xi Jinping stressed China's opposition to any violation of resolutions issued by the United Nations Security Council, saying he hopes related parties will refrain from escalating the tension in the peninsula.
On April 23, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also stressed that the recent months have seen enough tough words and actions, it is time for us to call for peace and reason.
With regard to the nuclear issue, China's position on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is consistent and clear-cut: China is committed to the denuclearization of the peninsula, its peace and stability, and settlement of the issue through peaceful means. In its latest statement, China conveyed messages that deserve our attention.
First, China is not at the center of the current tensions. In essence, the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue centers on security and the relationship between the US and North Korea. The situation on the Korean Peninsula has remained ambivalent for decades: there's an armistice treaty that ended the Korean War over 60 years ago, but no peace accord has been brokered among the warring parties. This has left North and South Korea in an official state of war. Efforts through the years to ease tensions have made virtually no progress due to the distrust between the US and the North Korea, as well as the differences among the related players.
The settlement of the North Korean nuclear issue depends on the US and North Korea. But there're people who tend to shift responsibility to China. Whenever the tensions are heightened on the peninsula, they are quick to blame China for lack of commitment. Such behavior obviously confuses the real situation and will do nothing to help resolve the issue. This is exactly what Wang Yi meant by saying "China will not be distracted by different voices."
Secondly, the key to resolving the situation on the Korean peninsula is not in China's hand. It is in the hands of the parties that are directly involved.
The evolvement of the nuclear issue depends on how the US and North Korea interact with one another.
To put it in another way, the keys are in the hands of the US and North Korea.
Over the years, China has been fully engaged with efforts to maintain peace and stability on the peninsula.
China was the organizer of the Six-Party Talks. China has also proposed a dual-track idea, namely a combination of the denuclearization of the Peninsula and the replacement of the armistice agreement with a peace treaty.
Meanwhile, China has mapped out a proposal calling for a suspension of North Korea's nuclear and missile program in exchange for a suspension of the massive joint military exercises held every year by the US and South Korea.
President Xi Jinpjng has reiterated China's stance to peacefully resolve the Korean crisis at multiple occasions including his face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-lago resort, as well as on his two phone conversations with Mr. Trump afterwards.
China is committed to peace on the peninsula because it fully understands that war, or even instability, in the region is not in the interest of the parties involved.
Only when the peninsula is denuclearized and peace and stability is maintained can the best results be achieved for all parties.
The situation on the peninsula is highly sensitive at the moment.
Under these conditions, all parties need to remain rational, rather than capricious. Peace, instead of force, is what is needed. Only by peace and reason as well as concerted efforts, can we achieve a solution to break the dilemma on the Korean Peninsula.