China, Japan and South Korea reiterate commitment to ending North Korea’s nuclear program

FORUM Staff

Tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula, even after the U.S. adjusted its bilateral exercise schedule with South Korea in an effort to advance diplomatic talks with North Korea.

Now, leaders from Japan, the People’s Republic of China and South Korea have reiterated their commitment to ending the North’s nuclear and missile program as Kim Jong Un increasingly demands relief from sanctions.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met December 24, 2019, in the Chinese city of Chengdu and agreed that “dialogue and consultation is the only effective way to solve the issues of [the] Korea[n] Peninsula,” according to Li, The Associated Press (AP) reported. (Pictured: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, center, speaks as South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, look on at a joint news conference during their trilateral leaders’ meeting in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan province, on December 24, 2019.)

“We three countries are willing to work together with the international community to solve the issue of Korea Peninsula in a political way,” Li said during a joint news conference following the meeting, according to AP.

The trilateral meeting took place while the United States remained on high alert following an unspecified threat of a “Christmas gift” from North Korea, but Christmas came and went with the North’s threat unfulfilled.

Moon said the three leaders support efforts to reignite denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea. Abe, however, offered criticism of the North for violating U.N. resolutions and threatening regional security through its continued missile launches.

“For that purpose, it was confirmed that full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions remains important, and we need to maintain the momentum of the U.S.-North Korea process,” Abe said, according to AP.

Two days before the three leaders met, Moon met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and told him it was “more important than anything” to keep momentum for talks between the U.S. and North Korea, Reuters reported.

A spokeswoman for Moon who attended the meeting cited Xi as saying many people remained concerned about tension on the Korean Peninsula.

“China and South Korea should gather strength to help North Korea and the United States sustain the momentum for dialogue,” Moon spokeswoman Ko Min-jung credited Xi with saying, according to Reuters.

Xi also told Moon that the PRC supports South Korea’s efforts to improve ties with the North and its efforts to find new ways to promote peace talks, Reuters reported.

“Safeguarding the stability and peace of the Korean Peninsula and pushing for a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue are in the interests of China, Japan and South Korea,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui told reporters during a briefing on the December 24 trilateral meetings, according to Reuters.