 |
|
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks at a daily press briefing in Washington, D.C. on Mar. 27. (AFP/Yonhap News)
|
White House says it provides evidence that “maximum pressure” strategy is working
In connection with the North Korea-China summit on Mar. 27, the White House disclosed that a personal message from Chinese President Xi Jinping had been delivered to US President Donald Trump. “Received message last night from [Xi Jinping] of China…that [Kim Jong-un] looks forward to his meeting with me,” Trump wrote on his Twitter feed. Depending on its content, observers say that Xi’s personal message could have an impact on the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. In a statement made shortly after the official announcement by Chinese and North Korean authorities, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, "The Chinese government contacted the White House earlier on Tuesday [Mar. 27] to brief us on Kim Jong Un's visit to Beijing.” The first possibility is that Xi’s personal message was about the location of the North Korea-US summit. China has used official media and experts affiliated with the government to express its hope that the North Korea-US summit will be held in Beijing or Shanghai. Xi may have asked Trump for his “cooperation” in holding the summit in China. In an interview with the Global Times on Mar. 22, Lu Chao, an analyst at the Border Studies institute at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, argued that holding the summit in Beijing would ensure the greatest possible security for both North Korea and the US, since the city represents a psychological safe space for the North. Second, presuming that Xi’s personal message was connected with the North Korea-US summit, it could have emphasized North Korea’s commitment to denuclearization while conveying an agreement between the North and China on a roadmap for denuclearization talks. Third, presuming that the message was focused on declaring an end to the Korean War, it could have suggested a way for China, South Korea, North Korea and the US to participate in such a declaration. Since China was one of the belligerents in the Korean War, it has steadily maintained that it must be involved in declaring the end of the war. "We see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea,” Sanders said in regard to why the North Korea-China summit was held. At the same time, the Trump administration seemed alert to the possibility that closer relations between North Korea and China could lead to the easing of sanctions. Shortly after North Korea and China’s official announcement, US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert responded to a Hankyoreh request for the government’s position by expressing the hope that China will use its unique leverage to ensure that North Korea engages seriously in credible negotiations moving toward denuclearization. This represents a request for China to remain in line with the Trump administration’s policy of “maximum pressure.” Nauert went on to say that the US had heard from its ally South Korea at the beginning of March about Kim Jong-un’s agreement to denuclearize and that Trump had accepted Kim Jong-un’s proposal for a meeting in light of this and other positive movements by North Korea. This appears to mean that China’s announcement about Kim declaring his willingness to denuclearize is not new information. Nauert added that the US had the same goal, namely the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. While Trump wrote on Twitter on Mar. 28 that “maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained,” he also said, “For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting!” By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
