Obama and Xi Jinping: Working together to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions

The two presidents met on the sidelines of an international summit in the US capital.  General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party “critical all parties fully and strictly implement newly-agreed sanctions”. The regime of Kim Jong-un responds by launching yet another missile into the sea.

 

Washington (AsiaNews) - China and the United States "will work together to prevent further missile tests by North Korea" and to try to get "a total denuclearization of the peninsula" stated US President Barack Obama following a bilateral meeting with Xi Jinping, which was held in Washington within the framework of a summit on nuclear rights. The two leaders, reports the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, "have had a frank conversation on many important issues, with a good degree of understanding."

Beijing’s efforts are critical to stopping military provocations from Pyongyang. For decades China has been North Korea’s last political "Godfather", and remains its main trade partner. However, the death of former dictator Kim Jong-il and the rise of Xi Jinping have cooled relations between the two nations. In early March 2016, moreover, the Chinese government passed an impressive package of sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN Security Council.

A signal of this new understanding between the two great powers, the Stalinist regime led by Kim Jong-un has responded by launching a ballistic missile from its east coast. The type of missile or its range is not yet clear, but in recent weeks there have been numerous tests of North Korea's military strength. Xi Jinping, also quoted by Xinhua, added that "it is critical all parties fully and strictly implement the newly-agreed sanctions” by the UN.

The 15-member UN Security voted unanimously what has been called "the heaviest package of penalties in the last 20 years". The decision was taken after the agreement between the US and China in response to the  January 6nuclear test and the launch of long-range missiles of February 7 by Pyongyang. The Council States also sent a written warning to the North’s government, asking it to restart dialogue on nuclear disarmament "as soon as possible"  or "accept the total isolation".

The leaders of South Korea and Japan are also at the Washington summit on nuclear power.  They have long sided with the US in trying to contain Pyongyang. " President Xi and I - Obama told them - are united in our efforts to deter and defend against North Korean provocations. We’re going to discuss how we can discourage actions like nuclear missile tests that escalate tensions and violate international obligations".

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