Beijing urged to take lead in managing six-party nuclear talks with North Korea
Analysts say China in strong position to achieve progress in six-party nuclear negotiations
China should play an active role in managing the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme, which could resume after Pyongyang sent a special envoy to Beijing, analysts say.
"The process will lose its authority if it still allows any party to enter or withdraw arbitrarily without cost," said Professor Wang Fan , a specialist on the North Korean nuclear issue at China Foreign Affairs University.
Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent special envoy Vice-Marshal Choe Ryong-hae to Beijing. Choe told President Xi Jinping that Pyongyang was willing to take steps to rejoin the long-stalled six-party talks on its nuclear weapons programme.
Pyongyang walked away from the talks in 2009, and although analysts doubt they will resume soon, recent and upcoming diplomatic activity between the different countries raises questions about how their new leaders will approach the issue. The talks involve China, the two Koreas, Russia, the US and Japan.
Wang said China should suggest that all six parties agree on how to maintain the authority of the talks with incentives and penalties, including establishing a peaceful agreement to prevent North Korea being invaded and measures against those who failed to uphold the aims of achieving a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and regional security.
