Foreign Ministers of Japan, the U.S. and South Korea Call for Greater Pressure on China

A conference between the foreign ministers of three major world powers — Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, American Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-hwan — was held in America, where they agreed to work closely together to deal with the problems of North Korea’s uranium enrichment and its attacks on South Korea. They also made a joint declaration hoping to play a more active role in issues regarding China and Russia.

The reckless actions of North Korea are putting the peace and safety of the Asia-Pacific region in jeopardy, so of course Japan, America and South Korea have come together to articulate a severe coping strategy for strengthening sanctions on it. However, it is China that has the most influential power over North Korea, so they cannot neglect to assume appropriate responsibility. It is essential that Japan, America and South Korea cooperate even further by heightening diplomatic pressure on China and urging them to take responsible action.

In the joint declaration, they heavily criticized the attacks of North Korea and noted its uranium enrichment as being a clear-cut violation of the six-party talks and the resolutions of the Security Council. As conditions for reopening the six-party talks, they are looking to improve relations between North and South Korea and to get North Korea to show tangible measures of curtailing their nuclear development. They also want to strengthen multilateral cooperation in order to check the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The opening discussion at the Japan-U.S.-Korea conference centered on the nuclear tests that North Korea first embarked on in October 2006, which have been conducted for four years since. From the sinking of a South Korean military patrol boat in March, to the attacks and uranium enrichment, Secretary Clinton’s statement that “We all agree that North Korea’s provocative and belligerent behavior jeopardizes peace and stability in Asia” shows a strong mutual understanding and determination from Japan, the U.S. and South Korea.

In spite of that, even with the situation we find ourselves in, China is still neither more nor less vague about where they stand. After the conference, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan said, “We would like China to have a more clear stance in giving warning to North Korea and to contain these provocative actions by North Korea because these provocations is [sic] not at all helping the security of the region and the peninsula.” The problem, as Minister Kim said, is that even with the military patrol boat incident and the recent shelling by North Korea, China has not even tried to reprimand them directly.

China is a leading country in this issue, being both a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and a member of the six-party talks. Since North Korea is in breach of multiple agreements it is party to, I want China to recognize more resolutely the duties expected of it and take more of a lead in reprimanding and punishing North Korea.

Prior to the conference between the foreign ministers, President Barack Obama had a telephone conversation with Chinese President Hu Jintao, urging him to exercise China’s influential power with North Korea, but it ultimately ended with them remaining of different viewpoints.

President Obama told President Hu that he was “outraged” at the shelling by North Korea. If we assume Obama had restrained himself from being too persuasive with China and is waiting for Hu’s visit to America in January, I express regret at this.

Even if the union of Japan, America and South Korea is maintained, above all else, it is America’s determination and leadership that is of utmost importance.