US and Chinese Leaders Should Make North Korea Pay Clear Price for Its Nuclear Provocation

Published in Donga Ilbo
(South Korea) on 26 September 2015
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Nathan Chung. Edited by Rachel Pott.
While on a state visit to the United States, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a summit with President Barack Obama. The leaders agreed on various points, including their stance on the North Korean nuclear issue, the reduction of greenhouse gases in response to climate change and the strengthening of military hotlines to prevent accidental military conflicts. On the Korean Peninsula issue, the two leaders reaffirmed their common understanding with the statement, “We demand the full implementation of all relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and we will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapon state.” While the U.S. and China warned North Korea against launching long-distance missiles, by referring to the U.N. resolutions, the warning held the same strength as previous agreements between the two nations, thus failing to meet the expectation that President Park Geun-hye’s diplomatic visit to China would help produce a stronger message.

The two nations failed to reconcile their differences of opinion on cyberhacking and the conflict over South China Sea territorial sovereignty. Starting in April, information pertaining to over five million former and current U.S. government employees has been hacked into. The U.S. suspects the involvement of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s cyber unit. But since China has denied involvement, stating it did not participate in or support hacking, the tension likely will not go away even after the summit ends. While currently in conflict with neighboring nations over the South China Sea, such as Vietnam and the Philippines, China is asserting itself as a hegemonic power, constructing various facilities and ensuring it will firmly uphold its "territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests.”

The U.S. and China, which comprise the G-2, are experiencing conflict and competition with each other, while attempting to maintain a strategy for avoiding head-on collisions. While they do not trust each other, their diplomatic approach is focused on the pursuit of national interests and practical benefits, based on the understanding that the two countries need strategic trust. Two years ago, on his first presidential visit to the U.S., President Xi suggested “a new type of major power relations.” In his recent visit, he emphasized the importance of increasing trust between the two nations and resolving suspicions. Korea, being an ally to the U.S. and a strategic partner to China, needs to find ways to maximize its national interest, including a resolution to the North’s nuclear issue.

Before leaving for the U.S. to attend the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit and the 70th session of the U.N. General Assembly, President Park warned, “If North Korea commits provocative acts that violate the U.N. Security Council resolutions, it will pay a clear price.”* Oct. 10 will be the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and there are growing concerns that North Korea will provoke the South by launching long distance missiles and performing its fourth nuclear test. For the U.S. and China to go beyond the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and find practical solutions, Korea must strongly flex its diplomatic muscles.

* Editor’s Note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.


[사설]美中 정상, 北核도발 확실한 대가 치르게 하라

미국을 국빈 방문 중인 중국의 시진핑 국가주석이 어제 버락 오바마 대통령과 정상회담을 갖고 북핵문제를
포함해 기후변화에 대응한 온실가스 감축과 우발적 군사충돌을 막기 위한 핫라인 강화 등에 합의했다. 한반
도 문제와 관련해 두 정상은 “북한을 핵보유국으로 인정할 수 없으며 유엔 안전보장이사회(안보리)의 결의
안을 무시한 행동에는 단호히 대처한다”는 공통의 인식을 확인했다. 유엔 결의안을 들어 북한의 장거리미
사일 발사 가능성에 대해 경고는 했지만 미중(美中)이 기존에 합의했던 수준이어서 박근혜 대통령의 방중
(訪中)외교로 보다 강력한 메시지가 나올 것이라는 기대에는 못 미치는 내용이다.

양국은 사이버 해킹이나 남중국해 영유권 분쟁에 대해서는 견해차를 좁히지 못했다. 미국은 4월부터 500만
명이 넘는 전현직 공무원의 정보를 해킹당한 사건이 발생했는데 여기에 중국 인민해방군 사이버부대가 관
련됐다고 의심하고 있다. 그러나 중국은 “해킹에 관여하거나 지원한 적이 없다”고 부인해 회담 후에도 갈등
은 사그라들지 않을 것으로 보인다. 베트남 필리핀 등 주변국들과 분쟁하는 남중국해에서 각종 시설공사 중
인 중국은 ‘자국의 주권, 안보 및 발전 이익을 굳건하게 수호해 나갈 것’임을 분명히 한 패권국의 모습이었
다.
세계 주요 2개국(G2)인 미중은 갈등과 경쟁을 하면서도 정면충돌을 피하는 전략을 유지하고 있다. 서로 믿
지는 않지만 ‘전략적 신뢰’는 필요하다는 인식 아래 국익과 실리를 취하는 외교다. 2년 전 국가주석이 된 후
첫 방미에서 이른바 ‘미중 신형대국관계’를 제안했던 그는 이번 방문에서 양국의 신뢰는 높이고 의심은 푼
다는 ‘증신석의(增信釋疑)’를 강조했다. 미국의 동맹이며 중국과는 전략적 협력 동반자인 한국은 이 사이에
서 북핵 해결을 비롯해 국익을 극대화할 방도를 찾아야 한다.

박 대통령은 어제 유엔개발정상회의와 제70차 유엔총회 참석차 미국으로 출발하면서 “북한이 유엔 안보리
결의안을 위반하는 도발적 행동을 한다면 확실한 대가를 치를 것”이라고 경고했다. 북한이 노동당 창건 70
주년인 다음 달 10일 장거리미사일과 4차 핵실험 도발을 할 것이라는 우려가 높아지고 있다. 미중이 ‘한반
도 비핵화’에서 더 나아가 실질적인 해결 방안을 찾을 수 있도록 한국은 최대한 외교 역량을 발휘해야 한다.
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