China has agreed to work with America to get rid of North Korea's nuclear capabilities, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said on Saturday.
The Friendship Bridge, seen from Dandong in China, connecting the superpower to North Korea. Despite China’s support for UN sanctions imposed on the rogue state, a steady trade of cash and consumables continues to flow from Dandong
The pledge came as a visit by Mr Kerry to Beijing ended with the two countries issuing an "unprecedented" joint statement condemning North Korea's nuclear programme.
"We are able, the United States and China, to underscore our joint commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner," said Mr Kerry.
Mr Kerry declined to comment on what specifically China might do to push for a peaceful solution on North Korea, saying only that they had discussed all possibilities. Beijing, meanwhile, made no specific commitment in public to pressure its long-time ally to change its ways.
Visiting Beijing for the first time as secretary of state, Kerry has made no secret of his desire to see China take a more active stance towards North Korea, which in recent weeks has threatened nuclear war against the United States and South Korea.
North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons, which it described on Friday as its "treasured" guarantor of security.
The region has been engulfed by threats of nuclear war by North Korea in response to United Nations sanctions imposed over its recent rocket and nuclear tests. There are fears it could soon fuel the crisis by firing a medium-range missile.
Beijing has backed Pyongyang since the 1950-53 Korean War and could wield tremendous leverage over the isolated communist regime thanks to the vital aid it provides, including almost all of its neighbour's energy imports.
But analysts say it is wary of pushing too hard for fear of destabilising North Korea, which could send waves of hungry refugees flooding into China and ultimately lead to a reunified Korea allied with the United States.
China is estimated to provide as much as 90 percent of North Korea's energy imports, 80 percent of its consumer goods and 45 percent of its food, according to the US-based Council on Foreign Relations.
Mr Kerry said he hoped that China, Japan and the United States could find the "unity" required to offer a "very different set of alternatives for how we can proceed and ultimately how we can defuse this situation" on the Korean peninsula.
The pledge came as a visit by Mr Kerry to Beijing ended with the two countries issuing an "unprecedented" joint statement condemning North Korea's nuclear programme.
"We are able, the United States and China, to underscore our joint commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner," said Mr Kerry.
Mr Kerry declined to comment on what specifically China might do to push for a peaceful solution on North Korea, saying only that they had discussed all possibilities. Beijing, meanwhile, made no specific commitment in public to pressure its long-time ally to change its ways.
Visiting Beijing for the first time as secretary of state, Kerry has made no secret of his desire to see China take a more active stance towards North Korea, which in recent weeks has threatened nuclear war against the United States and South Korea.
North Korea has repeatedly said it will not abandon nuclear weapons, which it described on Friday as its "treasured" guarantor of security.
The region has been engulfed by threats of nuclear war by North Korea in response to United Nations sanctions imposed over its recent rocket and nuclear tests. There are fears it could soon fuel the crisis by firing a medium-range missile.
Beijing has backed Pyongyang since the 1950-53 Korean War and could wield tremendous leverage over the isolated communist regime thanks to the vital aid it provides, including almost all of its neighbour's energy imports.
But analysts say it is wary of pushing too hard for fear of destabilising North Korea, which could send waves of hungry refugees flooding into China and ultimately lead to a reunified Korea allied with the United States.
China is estimated to provide as much as 90 percent of North Korea's energy imports, 80 percent of its consumer goods and 45 percent of its food, according to the US-based Council on Foreign Relations.
Mr Kerry said he hoped that China, Japan and the United States could find the "unity" required to offer a "very different set of alternatives for how we can proceed and ultimately how we can defuse this situation" on the Korean peninsula.
No comments:
Write comments