by Itunuoluwa Adebo
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that China understands now how dangerous North Korea’s nuclear program has become and agrees action must be taken to stop it.
“I think even China is beginning to recognize that this presents a threat to even China’s interests,” Tillerson said during an interview on CBS He was asked about how North Korea was discussed during last week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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“President Xi clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken,” Tillerson said. Despite Tillerson’s assessment, China hasn’t signaled any change in its approach to Pyongyang.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t mention North Korea in two statements it released after the two leaders met, and on Monday ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying stuck to Beijing’s rhetoric that China’s position on the Korean Peninsula issue has been consistent.”
“During the China-US presidential summit at Mar-a-Lago, both sides said they were committed to the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula, would continue to comprehensively carry out UN Security Council resolutions related to North Korea, and agreed to keep close communication and coordination on the issue.”
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China called on both North Korea and the US to ease the tension on the Korean peninsula, Pyongyang by suspending its nuclear weapon and missile program and US by stopping military exercises with South Korea that antagonize Pyongyang. South Korea and China also agreed to take measures against North Korea if the country were to carry out another nuclear test or launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.
