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Fat Kim is smart. He knows China is the real enemy of a united Korea.
Kim Jong Un handed Trump a big win in the Korea talks — and China is looking desperate and forgotten
Kim Jong Un has offered to stop nuclear testing and close one of its nuclear test sites later this month, under the conditions that the US allow the Korean War to end and promise not to invade.
The announcement, which came on the heels of a historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea last Friday, has appeared to hand the US a big win in its battle for influence in the Korean Peninsula – while also sidelining China.
Kim’s offer, announced by Seoul officials on Sunday, appeared to ignore a major tenet of a Chinese-drafted proposal for North Korean denuclearisation – the “freeze-for-freeze” initiative.
The initiative, repeatedly proposed by China and rejected by the US, calls for North Korea to stop testing its nuclear weapons in exchange for the US and South Korea to suspend their joint military exercises in the region.
The absence of the freeze-for-freeze stipulation effectively paves the way for the US to retain troops on the Korean peninsula even if North Korea denuclearises.
This is likely to rile China, which has long been threatened by the US’ military presence on the Korean Peninsula, said Elizabeth Economy, director of Asia studies at the Council of Foreign Relations and author of “The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State.”
She told Business Insider: “Beijing is committed to the eventual exit of the US military from the Korean Peninsula – and from the Asia Pacific writ large – so the willingness of Kim to meet without a first step toward a reduction in the US presence could not have made Beijing happy.”
China appears to be kept out of Korean Peninsula talks, and is looking desperate
Beijing, who previously kept away from engaging in North Korea’s nuclear talks, now runs the risks of being sidelined from future discussions about the Korean peninsula.
Indeed, officials in Seoul are already preparing for the upcoming Trump-Kim summit with a view to leave China out of the picture, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified governmnet sources.
Economy said: “China is desperate to remain relevant in this process of potential denuclearisation and reunification. It was taken aback by the decision of Kim and Trump to meet and unhappy about the lack of preconditions on the North Korean side.
“It very much wants to host the meeting between Kim and Trump as a means of playing a significant role in the process and ensuring that its interests are not ignored.”
Kim Jong Un handed Trump a big win in the Korea talks — and China is looking desperate and forgotten
Kim Jong Un has offered to stop nuclear testing and close one of its nuclear test sites later this month, under the conditions that the US allow the Korean War to end and promise not to invade.
The announcement, which came on the heels of a historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea last Friday, has appeared to hand the US a big win in its battle for influence in the Korean Peninsula – while also sidelining China.
Kim’s offer, announced by Seoul officials on Sunday, appeared to ignore a major tenet of a Chinese-drafted proposal for North Korean denuclearisation – the “freeze-for-freeze” initiative.
The initiative, repeatedly proposed by China and rejected by the US, calls for North Korea to stop testing its nuclear weapons in exchange for the US and South Korea to suspend their joint military exercises in the region.
The absence of the freeze-for-freeze stipulation effectively paves the way for the US to retain troops on the Korean peninsula even if North Korea denuclearises.
This is likely to rile China, which has long been threatened by the US’ military presence on the Korean Peninsula, said Elizabeth Economy, director of Asia studies at the Council of Foreign Relations and author of “The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State.”
She told Business Insider: “Beijing is committed to the eventual exit of the US military from the Korean Peninsula – and from the Asia Pacific writ large – so the willingness of Kim to meet without a first step toward a reduction in the US presence could not have made Beijing happy.”
China appears to be kept out of Korean Peninsula talks, and is looking desperate
Beijing, who previously kept away from engaging in North Korea’s nuclear talks, now runs the risks of being sidelined from future discussions about the Korean peninsula.
Indeed, officials in Seoul are already preparing for the upcoming Trump-Kim summit with a view to leave China out of the picture, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified governmnet sources.
Economy said: “China is desperate to remain relevant in this process of potential denuclearisation and reunification. It was taken aback by the decision of Kim and Trump to meet and unhappy about the lack of preconditions on the North Korean side.
“It very much wants to host the meeting between Kim and Trump as a means of playing a significant role in the process and ensuring that its interests are not ignored.”