The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that high-level discussions have taken place between the US and China. Washington has conveyed to Beijing its hope for them to take more actions to prevent North Korea from joining the Russia-Ukraine war and has called on the CCP to stop supporting Russia’s defense industry.
On Thursday (October 31), the US and South Korea held a diplomatic and defense ministerial “2+2” meeting in Washington. The four ministers condemned North Korea’s actions such as launching intercontinental ballistic missiles and sending troops to support Russia as “provocative actions.” They also emphasized the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, as well as safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Following the joint press conference after the meeting, Blinken stated that the US and South Korea are in agreement that Beijing should take more actions to restrain North Korea’s provocations and stop supporting Russia’s defense industrial base.
“We have communicated with China,” Blinken told reporters, “In fact, just this week, we had a vigorous dialogue, and I think they are very clear about our concerns and expectations, that is, whether in words or actions, we hope they use their influence to try to contain these activities.”
“We will see if they take action, but I think this is not only from us but also from demands of countries around the world,” he said.
US Defense Secretary Austin said, “But if China (CCP) truly wants to de-escalate the conflict, it should pose sharp questions to Russia on this point, asking whether they intend to escalate the conflict through these actions.”
Austin stated that the US will continue to work with allies and partners to ensure appropriate actions are taken and hold North Korea accountable.
A US State Department official told the Associated Press that in an earlier rare meeting this week, three senior US diplomats met with the Chinese Ambassador to the US, emphasizing US concerns and urging China to use its influence over North Korea to try to restrain cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
The US estimates that currently around 8,000 North Korean soldiers are gathered near the Russia-Ukraine border, preparing to assist Russian forces in fighting against Ukrainian troops in the coming days.
So far, the CCP has remained largely silent on North Korea’s actions of sending troops to support Russia.
South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook stated that he believes China’s continued silence is a tactic of observation and waiting. He believes that when “China’s interests are also infringed upon,” Beijing will start taking action.
Shi Yanhong, a International Relations expert at Renmin University of China, told the Associated Press that the Russia-North Korea partnership goes against China’s goal of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Shi Yanhong stated that Beijing “recognizes the complexity and danger of the situation,” and that the fact that China has not commented on the military alliance agreement between North Korea and Russia indicates that China firmly disagrees with this agreement.
Dennis Wilder, a Senior Researcher at Georgetown University and former CIA China expert, said that the CCP’s lack of response to North Korea’s military actions is surprising.
Wilder believes that this indicates that the CCP must find a balance between supporting Moscow and not angering the West.
This week, Wilder spoke at a panel discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, saying that Xi Jinping has established a personal relationship with Putin, “He cannot see Putin fail.”
However, at the same time, Xi Jinping cannot afford to provoke Europe and the United States when the Chinese economy is in trouble.
“Therefore, he will not make any public statements on this matter,” Wilder said.