Xi-Park summit offers unique chance to engage Pyongyang

By John Delury Source:Global Times Published: 2013-6-27 18:08:01

Illustrations: Peter. C. Espina/GT
Illustrations: Peter. C. Espina/GT



This week, the new leaders of China and South Korea bear the weight of history as Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye hold a much-anticipated summit in Beijing.

The trickiest item on the agenda is whether Xi and Park can do anything to help unstick the Korean Peninsula from its quagmire. Although it's an uphill climb, there are some reasons for guarded optimism.

One of the main reasons why the ball is in Beijing and Seoul's court is the Obama administration's disengagement from North Korean diplomacy.

North Korea's successful satellite launch in December and third nuclear test in February did get Washington's attention, but since the blustering and posturing of March and April died down, the White House seems to have reverted to its previous aversion to going back to the negotiating table with Pyongyang.

North Korea's most recent call for direct talks with the US was dismissed out of hand. Indeed, there is a noticeable weariness about most US discussion of North Korea, a tired sense that there is "no exit" from the eternal recurrence of the same North Korean tricks.

If policymaking and strategic thinking about North Korea in the US is on a kind of autopilot, the same cannot be said for countries closer to the problem.

Each of Northeast Asia's new leaders - Xi Jinping, Park Geun-hye, Shinzo Abe and Kim Jong-un - is testing out new approaches to regional security that might create an opportunity for the summit.

The most significant development in the region is the delinking of North Korea's denuclearization as a precondition for engagement on the diverse issues faced by its neighbors - from the abduction issue in Japan, to maritime conflict, stalled economic cooperation and divided families in South Korea, to cross-border security, trade, and investment with China.

For North Korea's neighbors, denuclearization remains a key long-term objective and precondition for more advanced stages of cooperation, but not a prerequisite for the resumption of engagement with Pyongyang.

Although there has been no progress on the nuclear issue - quite the opposite, in fact - Abe recently sent an envoy to Pyongyang to explore solutions on the abduction issue.

Park remains committed to a "trust-building process" with the North based on deterrence and dialogue.

Xi is more forcefully enforcing sanctions directly related to the Pyongyang's nuclear program, while simultaneously moving ahead with comprehensive economic and political engagement.

For his part, Kim announced plans to strengthen North Korea's nuclear deterrent, but simultaneously push forward with "economic construction."

In this broader context, the Xi-Park summit presents a historic opportunity to open a new era not just in improved China-South Korea relations, but to advance political dialogue, mutual security measures, and economic cooperation for Northeast Asia as a whole.

Unlike the previous South Korean president, Park appears serious about wanting to improve inter-Korean relations. And unlike his father, Kim is showing strong signs of wanting to prioritize economic development.

From Beijing's perspective, both economically and geostrategically, the ideal scenario is good relations with both Koreas. Improved inter-Korean relations would make that goal considerably easier.

China has consistently encouraged North Korea to follow its lead in shifting from "military first" to "economic development first."

South Korea's previous conservative government backed away from the effort to normalize economic relations with the North five years ago, but if Seoul and Beijing can now march in unison going forward, there are renewed opportunities for progress.

The catch in all of this of course is how to help Pyongyang and Washington find an on-ramp to the denuclearization process.

After the embarrassing unraveling of the US-North Korea "Leap Day Deal" last year, the US is understandably not eager for a renegotiation. But there is no other way to make serious headway on the nuclear issue.

Hopefully Xi Jinping found some room to maneuver based on the recent high-level dialogue with Kim's envoy Choe Ryong-hae and nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan. If so, Park may be able to help inject political will to reengage the North now lacking in the US.

The author is assistant professor of East Asian studies at Yonsei University's Graduate School of International Studies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn



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