A global pressure campaign on North Korea propelled by sharp new UN sanctions received a welcome boost Sunday from China, the North鈥檚 economic lifeline, as Beijing called on its neighbor to halt its missile and nuclear tests.
The Trump administration cautiously embraced China鈥檚 apparent newfound cooperation, while putting it on notice that the US would be watching closely to ensure it didn鈥檛 ease up on Pyongyang if and when the world鈥檚 attention is diverted elsewhere. But there were no signs the US would acquiesce to China鈥檚 call for a quick return to negotiations.
The diplomatic wrangling sought to build on the sweeping new North Korea sanctions passed by the UN Security Council a day earlier 鈥� the strongest in a generation, the US said. As diplomats gathered in the Philippines for an annual regional meeting, President Donald Trump was cheering the move from afar. He touted the 鈥渧ery big financial impact鈥� of the sanctions and noted optimistically that both China and Russia had joined in the unanimous vote.
鈥淚t was a good outcome,鈥� US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in characteristically understated fashion as he met with South Korea鈥檚 top diplomat.
For the US, it was a long-awaited sign of progress for Trump鈥檚 strategy of trying to enlist Beijing鈥檚 help to squeeze Pyongyang diplomatically and economically. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, meeting with North Korea鈥檚 top diplomat during the gathering in Manila, urged the North to 鈥渕aintain calm鈥� despite the UN vote.
鈥淒o not violate the UN鈥檚 decision or provoke international society鈥檚 goodwill by conducting missile launching or nuclear tests,鈥� Wang said, in an unusually direct admonition.
Though Beijing repeated its call for the United States and North Korea to resume talks, the US said that was still premature, and rejected yet again a Chinese call for the US to freeze joint military exercises with South Korea in exchange for the North halting nuclear development. Pyongyang views the military exercises as rehearsals for an invasion.
The US also warned it planned to rigorously monitor China鈥檚 compliance with the new penalties. Susan Thornton, the top US diplomat for Asia, said Beijing had historically cooperated with sanctions after flagrant North Korean violations but then slipped back over time.
鈥淲e want to make sure China is continuing to implement fully the sanctions regime,鈥� Thornton told reporters in Manila. 鈥淣ot this kind of episodic back and forth that we鈥檝e seen.鈥�
Infusing the diplomatic gathering with dramatic intrigue was the presence of Ri Yong Ho, North Korea鈥檚 foreign minister, the odd man out at a meeting dominated by concerns about his nation鈥檚 nuclear proliferation. Indeed, the US was floating a proposal to temporarily kick North Korea out of the 27-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, although other member nations are divided about that idea.
Would Tillerson trade pleasantries with his North Korean counterpart as they cross paths at the regional gathering, or potentially even sit for a meeting? It was a question driving the hallway chatter at the gathering, but the US summarily shot down the prospect.
Though Tillerson has emphasized the Trump administration鈥檚 willingness to sit down with North Korea for negotiations, he鈥檚 said that won鈥檛 happen until the North agrees to abandon its nuclear aspirations. Even with new UN sanctions in place intended to drive Pyongyang back to the table, conditions still aren鈥檛 ripe for talks, US diplomats said.
But Wang, the Chinese envoy, cast the North Korean foreign minister鈥檚 presence in Manila as a positive, enabling him to 鈥渉ear the voices from other sides.鈥� Speaking in Chinese, Wang said that Ri 鈥渁lso has the right to share his opinions.鈥�
The North Korean envoy hasn鈥檛 spoken publicly since arriving in the Philippines. But a commentary in the ruling party鈥檚 Rodong Sinmun newspaper said Washington had disregarded the warning the North sent with its intercontinental ballistic missile tests and was pursuing 鈥渄esperate efforts鈥� in the form of stepped-up sanctions.
鈥淣ow the US mainland is on the crossroads of life and death,鈥� the commentary warned.
The new sanctions could cut off roughly one-third of North Korea鈥檚 estimated $3 billion in annual exports, ostensibly denying the nation of funds for its weapons programs. All countries are now banned from importing North Korean coal, iron, lead and seafood products, and from letting in more North Korean laborers whose remittances help fund Kim Jong Un鈥檚 regime.
The U.S. drafted the sanctions resolution and negotiated it with China following North Korea鈥檚 unprecedented test of an ICBM in July and a follow-up test weeks later. Those tests sharply escalated U.S. fears that Pyongyang is a key step closer to mastering the technology needed to strike American soil with a nuclear-tipped missile.
Yet despite deeming North Korea a top security threat, the young Trump administration has struggled to find a strategy that differs significantly from what the U.S. has tried in the past. Aside from calling for more sanctions, Trump鈥檚 approach has centered on enlisting China 鈥� the North鈥檚 biggest trading partner 鈥� and others to lessen ties to Pyongyang.
Trump鈥檚 initial optimism about China鈥檚 willingness to help gave way to public exasperation, with Trump saying Chinese President Xi Jinping had 鈥渢ried鈥� but that it 鈥渉as not worked out.鈥� Trump鈥檚 administration began floating potential plans to punish China for its trade practices in what was widely perceived as a reaction to China鈥檚 inaction on North Korea.
But in recent days, the two powers have started to paper over some of those differences. Beijing praised Tillerson for declaring the U.S. wasn鈥檛 seeking regime change in North Korea. Trump has held off, for now, on the trade actions. And China joined the 15-0 vote in the Security Council聽on Saturday聽on the new sanctions.
鈥淲ho has been carrying out the U.N. Security Council resolutions concerning North Korea? It is China,鈥� Wang, the Chinese foreign minister, said Sunday. 鈥淲ho bore the cost? It is also China.鈥�