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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju dine with Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan following their summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Mar. 26. (KCNA/Yonhap)
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Summit with Xi Jinping reflects a restoration of North Korea-China relations
North Korean and Chinese state-run media uniformly reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had visited China with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, on Mar. 25 to 28 on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and that Kim and Xi had held a summit on Mar. 26. Kim announced his commitment to denuclearization in line with the “final wishes” of his grandfather Kim Il-sung and his father Kim Jong-il and told Xi that the problem of denuclearization could be resolved if South Korea and the US took gradual and simultaneous measures to bring about peace. According to reports on Mar. 28 by media outlets from both countries, including the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and Xinhua News, Kim and his retinue departed from Pyongyang in a special train on Mar. 25 and were greeted in the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning Province on the border with North Korea by Song Tao, director of the Communist Party of China’s International Liaison Department, and other Chinese officials. After arriving in Beijing on Mar. 26, Kim joined Xi for a welcome event, a summit and a welcome dinner at the Great Hall of the People. After a luncheon with Xi on Mar. 27, Kim departed Beijing and returned to Pyongyang, crossing the border around 6 am on Mar. 28. Emphasizing previous leaders’ “final wishes” for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula The most notable aspects of the North Korea-China summit was Kim’s declaration of his commitment to denuclearization and his opinion about a new turn of events. “A positive change has occurred in Korean Peninsula affairs this year, and we praise North Korea for its important efforts. We are committed to the goal of the denuclearization of the [Korean] Peninsula, to peace and stability and to resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations,” Xi said during the summit. “We have resolved to transform inter-Korean relations into relations of reconciliation and cooperation, hold an inter-Korean summit, engage in dialogue with the US and hold a summit with the US. Our unchanging position is working to bring about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula according to the final wishes of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il,” Kim said in response. It is very significant that Kim clearly expressed his commitment to denuclearization by referring to the final wishes of his predecessors during his first appearance on the stage of international diplomacy. “If South Korea and the US respond to our efforts in good faith and set the mood for peace and stability, it will be possible to resolve the issue of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through gradual and simultaneous steps toward achieving peace,” Xinhua News quoted Kim as saying. Kim was essentially offering a specific plan for denuclearization based on “simultaneous progress,” in which South Korea and the US ask North Korea to take certain steps toward denuclearization at the upcoming summits while providing the North with corresponding and comparable steps to guarantee the regime’s security. Taking the lead in relaxing tensions on the Korean Peninsula Kim also hinted at his commitment to taking the lead amid the rapid changes in affairs on the Korean Peninsula. He emphasized during the summit that North Korea had “moved to take the lead in easing the tense situation and called for peaceful dialogue.” Xi responded by saying, “China hopes a constructive role will continue to be played on Korean Peninsula issues and that efforts will be made by various countries, including the North, to move Korean Peninsula affairs toward a solution.” Chinese attention appears to be focused on Kim’s remark that “courtesy, loyalty and duty demanded that I immediately meet with President Xi to inform him” about the rapidly changing situation on the Korean Peninsula. This remark appears to completely allay concerns raised in some sectors that China was being sidelined on Korean Peninsula affairs. Fully restoring North Korea-China relations The two countries’ relations, which had been damaged by North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests and by China’s participation in sanctions against the North, have apparently been completely restored to their former status of “close allies” through this summit. During the summit and the subsequent dinner, Kim and Xi placed a particular emphasis on amity between China and North Korea and between previous leaders, and they also achieved concrete results, including an agreement to continue summit-level exchange through Xi visiting the North. During the summit, Kim congratulated Xi on confirming his reelection during the National People's Congress, which was wrapped up on Mar. 20. “It was completely appropriate for my first visit overseas to be to the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It is my noble responsibility to carry on the friendly ties between our two countries and to value them as much as life itself,” Kim said. This apparently underlines that North Korea-China relations will be handled in the future according to the tradition of the past. Xi also stressed the importance of North Korea-China relations: “China-North Korea relations were diligently developed through the joint ideals and convictions of leaders of previous generations, and it is the strategic choice and the resolute will of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to value, ceaselessly uphold and develop those relations.” “There is a proverb in North Korea that trees with deep roots are not shaken by the wind and that a spring that rises from the depths does not run dry. The traditional friendship between North Korea and China was forged in blood and has no equal in the world,” Xi added. The fact that the two leaders announced that they would continue summit-level exchange through reciprocal visits and the exchange of special envoys also marks a dramatic change in North Korea-China relations. North Korean media said that Kim invited Xi to visit the North and that “the invitation was gladly accepted.” Chinese state-media also reported that Xi and Kim had agreed to continue high-level exchange through “reciprocal visits.” Economic cooperation between North Korea and China The restoration of North Korea-China relations has increased the possibility that economic cooperation between the two countries will resume as well. But cooperation will probably have to proceed gradually in line with progress on denuclearization because of sanctions on North Korea by the UN and other members of the international community. “Currently, socialism with Chinese characteristics has already entered a new era, and the construction of socialism in North Korea has advanced into a historic period as well. We hope that we can work with the North Koreans to diligently improve the welfare for both of our peoples and to make a positive contribution to regional peace, stability and development,” Xi said during the meeting. “We resolutely support our North Korean comrades making a proactive effort to defend their political stability and to promote economic development,” Xi went on to say. “China will probably not diverge from the international community’s framework of cooperation on sanctions against North Korea. But if North Korea takes gradual steps toward denuclearization, China could play a role in creating breathing space for the North by easing sanctions in non-military areas, such as daily necessities,” said Cho Sung-ryul, senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy. The effect on the inter-Korean and North Korea-US summits With North Korea-China relations being fully restored before the inter-Korean summit at the end of April and the North Korea-US summit in May, “double trilateral meetings” – one between South Korea, North Korea and the US and another between South Korea, North Korea and China – are likely to determine Korean Peninsula affairs in the future. Denuclearization is a long process. When “a crisis of trust” occurs during the process of negotiations, therefore, it is necessary for this to be managed appropriately. This is why experts believe that “the simultaneous operation of two dialogue frameworks between South Korea, North Korea and the US and between South Korea, North Korea and China could be helpful for relieving anxiety and maintaining stability.” “During this talk, Kim Jong-un made clear that denuclearization is the endpoint of negotiations and that he is willing to lower the threshold for initiating those negotiations. The most important thing at the present moment, leading up to the inter-Korean summit and the North Korea-US summit, is how we can come up with a way to make ‘simultaneous progress’ toward final denuclearization,” said Kim Yeon-cheol, professor at Inje University. By Jung In-hwan and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporters and Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
