U.S.-China Summit, and South Korea on the Sidelines

Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to make a state visit to the United States and attend a summit meeting with President Barack Obama. This summit meeting is the most anticipated between the two countries since Deng Xiaoping visited the United States in 1979 and the U.S. and China normalized relations. For the Chinese, who have recently popped up as the second world power, it will be a perfect example to make clear on all fronts their relations with the United States. The way in which these two powers approach such issues as the North Korean, Iranian and Taiwanese problems; climate change; terrorism; monetary policy and trade imbalance will greatly influence the state of world politics.

Issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula are expected to be a major part of the U.S.–China talks, with the discussion coming down to two major recent incidents: the Cheonan incident and the Yeongpyeong Island incident. Both countries seem to generally agree on the need to ease the military standoff on the Peninsula, but they still stand far apart on issues pertaining to the Six-Party Talks, North Korean uranium enrichment and ballistic missile programs.

The problem remains that while the United States and China engage in a discussion about the Korean Peninsula, they also leave out the two principal parties concerned, North and South Korea themselves. Even up to the previous South Korean administration, the government took the initiative to come up with solutions and policies relating to the divided two Koreas, actively engaging other countries concerned and flexing its diplomatic muscle. This was possible because the government at that time was bringing forward proposals that the other countries could understand.

However, for the last few years the North-South dialogue has proceeded haltingly at best, with all the friction that the confrontation of the United States (with South Korea) and China (with North Korea) can yield. The result is the very unfortunate situation of today, where both North and South Korea have lost the right to speak out in the name of their own destinies, reduced to constantly keeping alert to the discussions of more powerful countries.

It is expected that China and the United States will move toward resuming the Six-Party Talks as a result of this summit. The United States is showing a subtle air of change, mentioning more freely “direct talks between North and South,” while also including the possibility of Japanese diplomatic intervention with North Korea. In this changing climate, if our government continues to show reservation at the prospect of North–South talks, it risks falling out of step with the United States and Japan. North Korea is now also showing a desire to engage in talks, though whether it is a genuine one is still unknown. It is time for both sides to reconsider their usual thinking.