China appears to be pushing to strengthen its communication with North Korea, amid signs of a growing peace mood, after the reclusive state recently expressed willingness to come out for talks on its denuclearization, a foreign ministry official said Monday.
China has voiced its support for the summit meetings that South Korea and the United States are preparing to hold with North Korea and it is in close consultation with the Seoul government on the back-to-back meetings likely to take place in April and May, respectively, the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
"For the inter-Korean and North Korea-US summits, China holds onto the stance of providing active support and staying in close consultation with us," the official said. "Against this backdrop, my view is that China appears to have an intent to maintain close communication with the North."
(Yonhap)
He made the remarks in response to a question about speculation that China might be seeking to increase its communication with North Korea out of concerns that it could get sidelined in the process of efforts intended to discuss the North's nuclear program.
China is North Korea's sole ally but their relations have appeared strained as Beijing has joined the US-led sanctions and pressure campaign to compel Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile ambitions.
"We are watching how things will turn out in terms of exchanges, in particular personnel exchanges, between China and North Korea," the official said.
Touching on other diplomatic issues, he also said that the Seoul government is pushing to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to South Korea "within this year," saying that the trip would reciprocate South Korean President Moon Jae-in's trip to China last year.
He added that South Korea, Japan and China are discussing whether to hold their three-way summit meeting in early May, though the exact date and detailed schedules still need to be worked out.
If it happens, that summit would be the first time in two and a half years for the leaders of the three Asian neighbors to sit down for talks.
He also said that South Korea is "in its final stage of collecting opinions" on detailed follow-up measures it will take on a controversial deal reached with Japan to end a long-running fray over Japan's wartime sexual slavery of Korean women.
Under the deal reached on Dec. 28, 2015, South Korea and Japan agreed to "finally and irreversibly" resolve the comfort women issue. Tokyo apologized for its colonial-era atrocities and pledged
1 billion yen ($8.9 million) to a foundation dedicated to supporting the victims.
The deal, however, prompted strong criticism from victims and civic groups who claim that Japan's apology was not sincere enough and that the government did not consult with them in advance. Some call for renegotiating or even scrapping the deal.
In January, the liberal Moon government, which took office in May last year, said that it will not seek renegotiation of the deal but promised to set aside its own money to help the victims heal their wounds and recover their dignity, rendering the deal almost void and null.
Intra-agency discussion has been under way how to determine the fate of the Japanese money and the now almost-defunct foundation.
Japan has called for Seoul to stick to the promise reached between the governments of the two countries.(Yonhap)