New | China’s role ‘vital’ to contain North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, say experts ahead of security summit
China will face global pressure to contain North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, analysts say as world leaders gather in the United States for a nuclear security summit that starts on Thursday.
President Xi Jinping is due to arrive in Washington after his state visit to the Czech Republic.
US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the summit, but Russia will not be sending a representative.
The summit will have concerns about North Korea high on its agenda.
Officials say preventing nuclear terrorism will be a major topic, but plans to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation will also be discussed.
Ramesh Thakur, director of the Australian National University’s Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, said China had a responsibility to exert its leverage over North Korea.
“Unlike Iran, where the US took the lead and China was part of it, here China has to accept the burden of leadership,” Thakur said. “North Korea is already so isolated. How many more sanctions can you put on it?”
“China will take this opportunity to reiterate its position that it cannot solve North Korea’s nuclear problem because the two countries are not allies,” said international relations professor Wang Yiwei, of Renmin University in Beijing.
“But China will stress the importance of resuming the six-party talks.”
On Monday, Thomas Countryman, US Assistant Secretary for International Security and Non-proliferation, said China had a vital role to play in the talks.
“We’ve worked together on writing a Security Council resolution to respond to North Korea’s violations and provocations,” Countryman said.
“And we’ve worked together also because we recognise that when Iran or North Korea wants to go shopping for nuclear or ballistic materials, they frequently seek that equipment and technology in the Chinese economy.”
Thakur said China also needed to be more transparent about its own nuclear reserves.
“Asia is the only continent where nuclear weapon numbers are actually increasing – and unfortunately in Asia, they’re increasing in all countries – Pakistan, China and North Korea included,” he said.
