China and the US: 60 years of searching for a solution to the 'North Korea problem'

More than 60 years since the end of the Korean War, North Korea remains one of the most tense issues in bilateral relations between the US and China despite generations of leaders taking turns in power in both countries.

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida in April. Photo: AP

The United States, China, and most other countries in the world agree that there should be no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. However, the United States and China, which started out as North Korea’s biggest “enemy” and strongest ally, respectively, have pursued markedly different approaches to the issue.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that China could “easily” stop North Korea from developing its controversial weapons program if Beijing used its influence over the country as its largest trading partner. However, China has been quick to reject this argument, saying that it is the US and North Korea that need to resolve their differences, not Beijing.

What the US expects is a comprehensive effort from China to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and “submit” to Washington, while what Beijing wants is a common compromise between the parties to ease tensions and bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table.

Accordingly, China called on the US and South Korea to stop provocative military exercises with North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang halting nuclear and missile tests. However, the US does not believe this compromise will make North Korea make concessions because the Kim Jong-un regime has repeatedly failed to comply with previous commitments.

The dilemma

Leader Kim Jong-un visits a North Korean military unit. Photo: CMT

The United Nations Security Council last week passed its toughest resolution yet against North Korea to deter Pyongyang after its sixth nuclear test. Although China agreed to pass the resolution, the US had to adjust the initial draft resolution to harmonize the interests of all parties to get the final vote from Beijing.

Many analysts say the latest UN sanctions will not be strong enough to put pressure on North Korea because they still do not completely embargo oil exports to Pyongyang, nor freeze the assets of leader Kim Jong-un.

A bigger question now is whether China will seriously implement the sanctions resolution on North Korea. Skepticism about Beijing's sincerity in implementing the resolution has been anticipated by the Trump administration. The US leader has warned that any Chinese citizen or entity that violates the Security Council resolution will be sanctioned.

Not only has North Korea conducted a series of missile tests, it has also claimed to be very close to its goal of building a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States. President Trump has vowed to stop this goal by all means.

Meanwhile, China never wants to lose North Korea - one of its few allies and a buffer zone for Beijing to deal with US plans to expand its influence to contain China in Asia.

According to analyst Cary Huang, the world will continue to live with the threat from North Korea's nuclear program as long as two major countries like the US and China cannot find common ground on this issue.

According to Dan Tri